Final Hell
by Sulhadahne
Summary: The deaths of his friends drives Cloud into despair. After receiving a letter from one of the deceased, Cloud embarks on a horrifying journey into the dead town Nibelheim to find the truth. He may not make it back... Based on the Silent Hill series.
1. the letter

**Final Hell**

_"In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill. You promised you'd take me there again someday. But you never did. Well I'm alone there now... In our 'special place'... Waiting for you..."_

Five years had passed since the night of the fire, and he dreamed of it still. The searing heat of the flames, the blinding light of his hometown going up in smoke... the burning... he remembered it all, could still feel it almost. As if the fire was still licking at him while he rested in bed.

Twenty one year old Cloud Strife sat up in bed, tired beyond words but unable to fall into a peaceful sleep. He threw the blankets off his body; they made him feel warm, and warmth was the last thing he wanted to feel. It reminded him too much of that day...

"Stop it." He whispered. He was letting his thoughts drag him down, and that wouldn't do any good at all. The blond stood and stretched, and glanced at the clock; it was 3:37. Good thing he didn't have to work tomorrow. He sighed and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. What did he have to do tomorrow?

_No one needs me... no one wants me..._

Cloud banished the dark thoughts and tried not to think of anything. He moved towards the door quietly, not wanting to wake those still asleep. Tifa Lockhart and her adopted son Denzel lived with him in the cramped one bedroom flat; If Cloud squinted, he could see the dark haired woman curled up on her bed by the window, with Denzel sprawled haplessly beside her.

It was struggle, even with two incomes and a shared rent. Tifa worked as a barmaid at all hours and Cloud did whatever odd jobs he could, fixing things or making deliveries. Denzel was a sixth grader and school was his job. They were doing the best they could.

Tifa hadn't been there, the day of the fire. Her family had moved away from Nibelheim before Shinra...

"Stop it!" Cloud whispered again, though it was less of a whisper. He froze; Tifa moved a little on the bed, but remained asleep. The blond let out the air he'd been holding, and slowly opened the door.

The kitchen was small and dirty, with dishes in the sink and the remains of Denzel's dinner on the counter. Cloud picked up the dish and headed to the trash can, scraping it off.

In the trash was a newspaper, dated a few weeks prior. As soon as he realized the food was about to fall onto the it, Cloud gasped, and reached right into the trash. He yanked the newspaper out and wiped it off quick, cursing quietly.

"Damn it, Tifa..." The woman kept trying to get rid of it. Cloud wouldn't let her.

Flattening out the paper, Cloud's eyes darkened as he gazed over the front page.

**TRAGIC CRASH BENEATH MT. NIBEL**

**Midgar natives killed while traveling abroad**

The image beneath the title made Cloud's stomach twist in knots, and a shot of heat raced up his throat, like he was going to be sick. Cloud turned away, gripping the paper so tight his knuckles were white and the paper was ripping.

Without looking at the newspaper, Cloud folded it back up and set it on the counter, biting his lip as he did. A few tears escaped his eyes meanwhile. No matter how much time passed, nothing changed. They weren't coming back. No matter what... Now he had more terrible things to dream about...

Just as Cloud was about to step away, something on the counter caught his eye. Turning, he saw something tucked into the newspaper.

"What...?"

Unfolding the paper, the thing slipped out. It was an envelope. Dingy, slightly grey, and with a few wet spots, it looked like it had been through some trouble. Cloud tentatively reached out to it, as if it might bite. When he grabbed it, nothing happened.

The man flipped it over and his eyes grew wide. It was addressed to him, but he'd never seen it before. He hadn't received any mail other than bills in a long time. And how would it end up in the trash? Slightly confused and a bit shaken, Cloud carefully ripped the top off and reached in.

"HOLY -" He bit back a scream and dropped the envelope onto the counter, jumping back. Something had been inside it, something very wet and very cold. Heart pounding, the blond reached forward again, and pulled on the envelope. He lifted it by the end and let the contents slide out.

A letter was inside, folded into three parts, and tucked into a plastic baggy so it wouldn't get wet. The other thing clinked on the counter, and began to roll, almost falling off the side. Cloud leapt forward and caught it, shivering from the cold touch.

It was a vial, like from a lab or a doctor's office. It was about the length of his palm and width of his finger. Inside it was half full with a light green substance, with condensation covering the outside. No wonder it had been so wet.

"What the hell?" The blond turned it over in his hand, his eyes trained on it. He felt like he'd seen something of the like before... in a dream of a dream. But it hurt to think about it. Cloud held it up, looking through it. It shimmered like water.

He set the strange vial aside and picked up the letter in the bag. It removed it and unfolded it, and saw that some of the water had managed to get inside. A few places in the letter were wet, and the ink had run because of it.

Still, he could managed to read most of it. Cloud began doing so.

_Hey, Cloud,_

_Been a while. What's up? Sorry we left so abruptly. It was kinda unplanned. One morning, I wake up to go to work and next I know, Aerith's dragging me to the van telling me we've gotta go somewhere... you know me. Never could say no to a pretty face._

Cloud blinked at the letter, no longer reading it. His heartbeat quickened, his breathing hastened. It couldn't be... but the handwriting... the writing style... it was just like him...

_She really needs to go the east continent for some reason. We're gonna head towards the Nibel mountains, near your hometown. I told her we should bring you since you know the area, but she says we can't involve you. She doesn't think we can involve anybody._

_It's scaring me a little. She hasn't acted this way since ... _this part was too wet to read._ And I know, I'm a SOLDIER, I'm ready for anything, but... I've got this really weird feeling. Like something really bad's gonna happen._

_I guess a lot of that's been going on lately. I mean, after ... _this, too, couldn't be read. ... _our group of friends has really thinned, huh?_

_I just don't want to lose anyone else I guess. I don't want to lose Aerith. So I'm sending you this letter._

_There's no way I'm going to let Aerith get hurt. But, if we don't return soon, Cloud, I'm counting on you to come save her. You're the only one I would trust with that._

_Look in Nibelhiem. I have a feeling that's where she'll be._

_Thanks, man,_

_Zack _

Tears were falling from Cloud's eyes to the paper in his hands, and his arms were trembling. The man stumbled over to the couch and sat down.

His eyes scanned the letter for a date, but he couldn't see one. Immediately he stood again and raced to the counter, grabbing the envelope.

There was a date in the top corner; it was dated a week before the announcement of Zack and Aerith's car crash in the Nibel mountains. It had been sent before their deaths.

Cloud's eyes slowly traveled from Zack's letter, to the vial of green liquid resting on the counter.

What was going on?

0-0-0

When Tifa Lockhart awoke the next morning, she found Cloud in the same place he'd been when he'd read the letter. The letter was on the coffee table, next to the envelope and the vial. He was staring intently at these items.

The woman was in a big baggy tee shirt that did little to hide her large bosom, and short white shorts. Her hair was a mess and dark bags were under her eyes. She glanced from Cloud, to the coffee table, and back.

"What's this?" She asked.

Cloud glanced up at her with blood red eyes. "... I was hoping you could tell me."

Tifa blinked. "Why's that?"

The man stood and frowned, turning from her towards the window. "Because it was in the trash. And you seem to enjoy throwing my things away."

The woman looked hurt by the statement, but she had gotten used to being hurt by Cloud's words. "I don't throw away your things, Cloud, I only got rid of the newspaper. Rereading the article about their deaths over and over again for hours won't bring them back, sweetheart..." The woman approached him and put a hand on his shoulder.

Cloud quickly backed away, turning on Tifa. "Then how the hell did that letter from Zack end up in the garbage!? Huh!" He swiped his arm out furiously, fire flaring in his eyes.

This shocked Tifa. Cloud threw biting words her way frequently, but he was hardly angry or loud. She glanced at the coffee table.

"Letter...?"

Cloud said nothing, only turned to stare out the window. The woman turned from him and sighed, and approached the letter.

It took her a moment to read it once, and then she reread it, and then reread it once more. "This is... is this real?" Tifa her hands fall.

"Has to be. His handwriting, his signature, ... I could almost hear him saying it all to me, in my head." A humorless laugh escaped the blond. A few tears came to Tifa's eyes, but they weren't for the dead. She sighed and set the letter down.

"Well, both of them are gone now. You aren't going out to Mt. Nibel looking for a corspe, are you?"

Cloud spun around. "I don't know." He admitted. "But Zack asked me to protect Aerith. What if she's still out there?"

"Cloud, she's dead!" Tifa said forcefully.

"They only found the incinerated car, no bodies!" Cloud retorted. "They could be out there still!"

At that the woman scoffed and stomped her feet. "If you mean, out there in the lifestream, then yeah! You'd be right!" The black haired woman was at the end of her rope. "You've been moping around for almost two months now! Taking fewer jobs, doing less around the house! It's like having two children to raise!" She threw her hands up in disgust. "Cloud, I love you like a brother, but you can't hold onto their memory like this!"

"No. Zack's right." The blond muttered.

"Right? About what?"

Cloud stepped towards her and took the letter from her hand, pointing to a certain part. "He mentions how our 'group of friends has thinned'. He's right." A dark, forlorn look came over Cloud. "Tifa... you're all I have left. First the General's friends... then the General himself... now Zack and Aerith too... something's going on."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "You're calling those Shinra assholes your friends?" Her tone darkened considerably. "What did that Sephiroth jerk and his war buddies do for you?"

"Don't talk about him like that!" Cloud shouted, absolutely outraged. He kicked the coffee table, shaking it, and the green vial rolled off it onto the carpet. For the first time, Tifa noticed it.

"What's this?" Cloud didn't answer her, still trembling from anger. She huffed and ignored him, examining it. Her look darkened as she did. "... what the hell is this, Cloud?"

"I dunno." He shrugged, not looking at her. "Came with the letter."

Tifa glanced up in shock. "Why would Zack send you..." She looked back at the vial. "This is all too strange. Look, Cloud, just stay outta this. Zack and Aerith's death might not've been natural... but this all has Shinra written all over it. Just ... just stay away."

Shinra... the name sent all sorts of feelings through Cloud's heart. Feelings of hope, dreams, of brotherhood, yet also of horror, fright, and confusion. Shinra was the name of a rich company in Midgar that practically ran the city. It had connections all over the world, including Cloud's hometown of Nibelheim. Word was they were into a lot of dark stuff. Messing with Shinra could get you killed.

_Which might be what happened to Aerith and Zack..._ Cloud knew that Aerith had some sort of history with Shinra; that was how she and Zack had met. And Zack was a SOLDIER, part of the elite Shinra army. Cloud had once wanted to be a SOLDIER... but his dream had died and with it, all his hopes for the future. Cloud tried not to think of it anymore.

His eyes went to the vial in Tifa's hand. What if it had something to do with what Aerith had been looking for? Maybe it was something Shinra was working with? Cloud reached out to take the vial from Tifa, until he realized the woman was holding it away from him.

"What do you want with it?" She asked. Cloud frowned.

"It was sent to me. It's mine."

Still Tifa seemed reluctant to let it go, but she did. _Does she know what this is? _Cloud decided to ask her.

"No... but I've got a bad feeling about it all the same." The woman's eyes lingered on it a little longer. Cloud held it tightly.

"Isn't it time for Denzel to get ready for school?"

With one last glare, Tifa headed back to the bedroom.

Cloud grabbed the letter and the vial, tucked them into his pocket, and then grabbed the keys to his bike from the key rack.

He needed some fresh air.

-=-=-

Fifteen minutes later, Cloud found he had driven to the airport without realizing it. Instinctively, his bike had led him where his heart had wanted to go. Now, if only he had the money to get a ride to the east continent.

_If I can just get to Nibelheim, I can find them somehow... there has to be a cheap way there... _Frowning in determination, Cloud thought nothing of the money he'd need when he got there, for food, lodging, and other such things. He really wasn't thinking at all.

The airport was a huge docking station for airships with commercial and private flights going in and out. Maybe someone had a cheap ride somewhere.... maybe he could hitch a ride across the water... he had to find a way.

Approaching the nearest pilot, Cloud found he was hesitating. He was devastatingly shy. "Uh... excuse me?" The blond muttered. The pilot glanced down at him. "You wouldn't happen to be flying near Nibelheim soon, would you?"

The man grunted. "Never heard of the place. Move along, boy."

So Cloud did. He asked the question of each pilot he saw, and received much the same answer. No one had heard of his hometown, and no one was willing to take him across the water for the cheap price he could afford.

Sighing, the man was about to contemplate stowing away on an airship, when a strong hand fell on his shoulder. Already high strung, the blond squealed and jumped, spinning around until he was face to chest with a tall man.

"Whoa, there! Calm down, boy!" The man muttered. His accent was thick and southern, and he looked a bit rough around the edges. Flustered, Cloud apologized for overreacting.

"I - I'm sorry." The other blonde shrugged it off.

"No need, I'm the one that scared ya! Don't apologize for me." Cloud took this as a mistake on his part and apologized again. "Stop fucking apologizing!" The other man shouted. Shocked, Cloud turned red faced and bounced back. Luckily, he caught himself before he could apologize again.

The pilot seemed to approve and nodded, sticking his hand out for a handshake. "Name's Cid Highwind. Best damn pilot ever. Heard of me?" The man smirked as if he expected Cloud had.

Cid Highwind was a few inches taller than Cloud, with goggles on his forehead and messy, short blonde hair. He had a bit of stubble, broad shoulders and a strong build, and was dressed in messy, oil stained clothes. Only his baby blue eyes gave off an air of innocence; everything else made him seem very intimidating and manly.

As he nervously shook the other man's hand, Cloud shook his head. "I'm afraid not." Cid seemed to droop slightly, but he recovered.

"Damn kids... don't know nothin' no more... well, anyway... I heard you needed to get to Nibelheim." The man grinned. "I'm headin' there myself. If you wanna hitch a ride, I'd be glad to give you one."

Cloud's heavy heart lifted. What luck! "You... wouldn't mind?" Cid rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Didn't I just fuckin' say that? Are you slow or something?" Cloud wasn't sure whether or not he should feel insulted.

"Uh... no."

"Good." Cid turned on his heel and stalked off, hands in pockets. "Cause I don't want any more idiots on my plane." Realizing he was leaving, Cloud hurried after the man. "I mean, damn, we've already got Sher..." Suddenly the man ceased to speak, and slowed to a stop. Cloud cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you all right?" The younger man asked.

Cid seemed to awaken from his stupor and blinked, grunting at him. "I'm fuckin' fine, all right! Hurry the fuck up!" The pilot resumed walking at a fast pace, and Cloud had to race to keep up.

Cloud wondered why anyone would be headed to Nibelheim. The town had been a small, unknown place to begin with..._ And now it's a ruin... _Why was this rough pilot headed there?

The man decided not to ask, since he was getting a free ride. As long as he made it to the small town, he didn't care about anything else.

_Zack... Aerith... wait for me..._

-=-=-

It wasn't a surprise that Cloud was gone when Tifa returned to the room. She had been expecting it. He had begun running off pretty often, riding around on his bike. He loved that thing like it was his child.

Today she was a little more worried. The letter had really thrown her for a loop. And the green vial... a horrid shiver ran down the woman's spine.

_Bad news..._

Sighing, Tifa collapsed onto the sofa.

Things had been going so well. She, Cloud, Zack, and Aerith had finally adjusted to life again; Cloud was beginning to open up again. Zack had really helped him, Aerith too. Life had started to look up.

_Now this... _After finally recovering from his beloved General's death, Cloud was hit with this. _Why us? Why always us? _Tifa grabbed a pillow from the end of the couch and put it on her lap, leaning down and resting her head against it.

She hated the General. She hated every stupid piece of Shinra that had lured Cloud into its dark, twisted world.

"Mom?"

Tifa sat back up, seeing that Denzel was standing by the door, ready for school. She forced herself to smile. "Just a minute sweetheart. Let me get dressed."

A few minutes later, they were in the car, driving down the road. Tifa let her thoughts drift, trying not to worry about Cloud. She tried not thinking about all the dark things that had happened recently. She tried not to think of the shadow she felt was following her, like an ominous cloud...

"Mom!"

Denzel shouted just in time for Tifa to realize she hadn't been paying enough attention to the road. A pedestrian was on the path in front of her, about to be run over if she didn't stop in time. Tifa slammed on the breaks, tires squealing as she slid to a halt a few feet before the tall woman.

The car seemed to screech in agony, and those around panicked, frightened and shocked at the close call. Strangely enough the woman who'd come close to death seemed undisturbed.

Said woman glanced up at the car slightly, hardly looking at it, before meeting Tifa's eyes. The stranger had only one eye that was a strong blue, piercing like ice. A strange feeling passed through Tifa then. A feeling she hadn't felt in years. Cold, bristling fear.

It was going to be a long morning.

-=-=-

Luckily for Cloud, Cid didn't mind hauling his beloved motorcycle onto the airship.

"Beautiful machine." Cid said of it, looking it over with a mechanic's keen eye. "I could do some stuff to it, though. It hasn't been given the love and care it really needs."

Cloud let out a short laugh. "I would give it more care if I could afford it." Cid laughed louder.

"I hear ya." Once the bike was loaded into the airship, Cid led Cloud through the cargo bay towards the front, passing a few airmen on the way. Each one greeted Cid with respect, usually calling him Captain.

Cloud glanced over at the man and wondered why he of all people would want to go to Nibelheim. He decided the only way to find out was to ask.

"So, uh... why are you heading out there?" He asked. Cid glanced at him.

"Huh? What, to Nibelheim?" The man asked. Cloud nodded. "Lookin' for somebody. A friend went out to see her family there, and I'm goin' to see her."

Cloud glanced away and frowned.

"Why... uh..." Cloud tried thinking of a way to word his question. Cid grunted.

"Out with it, kid!" He demanded.

"Her family couldn't be in Nibelheim." Cloud told him. "The town... it burned down a few years ago."

The two stopped walking, and Cloud sighed. "Almost everyone died. No one lives there anymore." The blond glanced up at his friend. "Are you sure she went there?"

"Damn sure. Hell..." Cid glanced away. "But... she just left a few weeks ago..." Frowning, the captain crossed his arms. "Dammit all to hell..."

Cloud felt bad for confusing the pilot, but he wasn't the only confused one. Why would anyone go to visit family in Nibelheim? _Did they start rebuilding the town?_

"... Whatever. Guess she lied, or something..." Cid sighed. "I'm still going after her, that's for damn sure." He glanced up at Cloud and put a hand on his shoulder. "So, whatta bout you? Why're you going there?"

The younger man felt his face heat up. _What do I say? What excuse can I come up with?_

"... I'm looking for someone, too." He finally said. The lie made him feel worse, but he couldn't exactly tell the truth. And it was a half truth, besides.

"Heh. Well, luck to us both." With that, Cid kept walking towards the front deck. "You might as well hang out until we get there. Don't cause no trouble, ya here!"

The doors to the room slid open, and then closed. And Cloud was alone, standing in the hall. After a moment, he found his way to the observation deck, and sat across from the large window looking out over the airport.

A sinking feeling took over, a terrible feeling that he was making the biggest mistake of his life.

"_Hey, fucktards, this is the Captain speaking, telling all you pansy bitches to buckle up and prepare for launch! Hell yeah!" _The line clicked off, but Cloud didn't bother reaching for the buckle. He kept staring out the window.

On the one hand, Zack and Aerith might be dead. Two of the only people in the world he cared about, gone forever. Taken from him by the spiteful Powers that Be.

On the other hand, they could be alive. And, for some reason, wrapped up in a Shinra catastrophe that had to do with Nibelheim and the vial of green liquid that Cloud had. The blond had his hand in his pocket, nervously fidgeting with the vial.

Which was better? Being alone? Or being involved in a secret, deadly Shinra plot?

Cloud knew almost immediately: anything was better than being alone.

Once the ship did begin to shake and take off, Cloud reached for the buckle. He couldn't risk dying, not yet. He had to find Zack and Aerith first.

-=-=-

Tifa had a bad feeling after dropping Denzel at school. Instead of going to the store, she rushed straight home.

Cloud was still gone. No note, no nothing. He'd be back soon. He often took drives for long hours, gone from morning to late night. He was fine, Tifa told herself.

When she stepped into the living room, she almost didn't notice that she wasn't alone. Tifa let out a scream when she realized a stranger was sitting on her couch. A second look made her realize it was the same blue eyed woman she'd almost run over with the car.

"Oh my god, what the hell are you doing in my house!?" Tifa shouted, backing away with fists clenched. "I'm sorry about earlier, but you have no right to be here!"

"Forgive me, but I wasn't sure how long you'd be, and I didn't want to wait outside." The woman stood, her long white coat flowing behind her. She reached out with her only good hand. "Shalua Rui. I'm looking for Cloud Strife. Does he live here?"

Tifa looked at the hand but didn't take it. After a moment, Shalua let it drop. But she didn't let the question go. "Well?"

"What do you want with him?" Tifa asked her.

Shalua smirked but it was without humor. "Information. Don't worry; I'm not trouble. I just want to ask him some questions."

Tifa looked her over; Shalua was about her height, a bit taller, wearing red high heels, a burgundy skirt and tank top, with a scientist's coat. She had her long hair pulled up on her head, and wore glasses. It looked like she was missing an eye, and one of her arms was a replacement. This woman seemed to be made of trouble. Tifa didn't like it.

"Cloud's going through a rough time, he doesn't need anybody asking him questions."

Shalua chuckled, not backing down. "Fine. What about you?" Tifa blinked. "May I ask you questions?"

"... if you'll leave him alone."

"I can't promise it, but I'll try. I'll start with you." Shalua's smug face faded into a serious look. She approached Tifa, and the other woman held her ground.

"Where were you the night General Sephiroth destroyed Nibelheim?"

-=-=-

**Authoress here. I'm writing a lot of fanfictions right now, but I couldn't resist starting this one. I love horror and writing horror more than anything else, and I've always wanted to do a scary fic. After buying Silent Hill 2 a while back, I could resist trying this story idea out.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

**SULHADAHNE **


	2. crash down

**Final Hell**

"_Let's get this party started."_

Chapter Two: Crash Down

Song to Read By: Theme of Laura, Akira Yamaoka

Flying over the ocean was like floating above an endless, black abyss. Cloud stood at the window, watching it below, trying to ignore the helpless feeling that was taking over him.

_Is this really the way to go?_ He wondered, biting his lip. _I left without telling Tifa anything. What if she's right? ... what if...?_

Sighing, Cloud leaned his forehead against the glass, his breath fogging it up. He watched it fade and reappear as he breathed in and out; he focused on it. Cloud forced himself to think of nothing else. Slowly his eyes closed. The rocking and humming of the ship, the smooth feel of the glass, the chill in the air, Cloud let it become him. He was actually getting rather sleepy. Before he could nod off, footsteps approached him.

Cloud slowly opened his eyes. "Excuse me sir." It was a young crew member, who kept glancing away from Cloud nervously. He seemed very shy. "The Captain asked to see you. If - If you would sir." He gestured as if to lead the way.

Nodding, Cloud leaned away from the wall. The two began walking, the crewman in the lead. Cloud took the time to examine the halls of the airship.

It wasn't his first time in an airship, but it was the first time in a long time. And Cid Highwind's airship was much sleeker and nicer than the ships Cloud was use to riding on. The last time he'd ridden one was when Aerith had decided to research her ancestry, and had wanted to travel to her homeland. So, she, Zack, and Cloud had piled their money together, paid to ride one of the cheapest airships they could get, and flew across the ocean, to the north. The ship had been a wreck, but the trip was fun all the same. It had been one of the greatest time's of Cloud's life, the time he spent traveling with those two.

Now, the memories brought him to tears. The blond wiped them away quickly as he stepped through the door to the front of the of the ship. The last thing he wanted was for that redneck Cid to ask him "why the hell he was cryin'".

The front deck was split level, with a large front window, and a glass floor near the front, away from most of the equipment. A row of computers ran around the room, and on the second level stood Cid, hands on the steering wheel, a serious grimace on his face. Cloud was almost afraid to interrupt him, but Cid had asked for him...

"Captain?" Cloud muttered. The other blond grunted and turned, nodding to him.

"Hey, uh... Squall, right?"

The younger man frowned. "It's Cloud."

"Right. Come on up."

Cloud stepped up the stairs. Once he was standing near the pilot, he took another look around. It was a nice view. He could see that they were no longer over the ocean; they were flying above land again.

Cid glanced away from his steering to Cloud. "So, ..." he looked over Cloud, head to foot. "You gonna tell me about this town we're headed towards?" Finally he returned his gaze to his work, which Cloud was thankful for. He didn't want to lie to Cid's face, looking right in his eyes.

"Not much of a town... not anymore." Cloud muttered. That much was true; but that was where the truth ended. "There was a fire, started in hte inn; one of the cooks left the burner on. Nibelheim was too small to have its own fire department, and by the time help arrived, it was too late." It just so happened that Cloud was very well versed in that lie. He said it the exact same way each time he retold it, to anyone who asked him about his hometown.

"Hn." The Captain didn't look too happy with the explanation. "Was, uh... was this all common knowledge? Y'know... on the news, and shit?"

Cloud shrugged half heartedly. "I guess."

For once Cid didn't curse or comment, just lowered his eyes. Lost in his own thoughts. What a luxury, Cloud thought bitterly, envying the other man. Cloud could never just "think"; if he so much as closed his eyes and tried, the image of fire leapt to his mind. It was burned into the backs of his eyelids, and would never leave him in peace.

A moment passed in silence. Cid gripped the wheel tightly, distressed over something. Cloud wasn't sure if he was allowed to leave, but got his answer when Cid grunted and waved him off. As he stepped down the stairs, an auburn haired crew woman approached him. She was rather pretty, in a girl next door sort of way.

"Sir, we'll be arriving shortly, please make sure you're buckled in before we land." Then she smiled and returned to her job.

Cloud turned and walked out the door. Once it slid shut behind him, he released the emotions he'd been withholding. A few tears escaped his eyes. He kept walking.

The hollow echo of his boots hitting the steel floor invoked a memory; in reality, Cloud was walking down a hallway in Cid Highwind's airship. But when he closed his eyes, when he let the past return to him, he was instead walking through one of Shinra's medical laboratories. 

This Cloud was sixteen, with a heart full of hopes, dreams, and promise. This little blonde, standing at hardly 5'5" and with scrawny limbs, was training to join Shinra's SOLDIER elite. This Cloud had yet to have his heart torn asunder.

"How is he?" The teen questioned frantically as he moved across the floor towards the group of doctor - scientists. These Shinra employees only blinked in response. Realizing his mistake, Cloud shook his head. "Err, I mean... what is the status of - of 1st class SOLDIER Zachary Fair?"

The doctor quirked an eyebrow. "And who are you to ask?" He was eyeing Cloud's uniform, which was one of the Shinra infantry outfits. It was not a SOLDIER uniform. It revealed Cloud's 'authority', which was none. He hardly had clearance to clean the SOLDIER restrooms. Which would've been an honor, of course.

But, Cloud didn't back down. "He's my friend." Cloud could've said many things - my best friend. My only friend. He's like a brother to me.

None of those statements would've helped. They would not let him through. Feeling helpless and worried, the blond cadet left the hospital, slamming the door behind him.

Once he stood at the bottom of the stairs, he huffed and sat down, next to a girl his age in a pretty white dress.

"Did they say anything?" She asked frantically, as she toyed nervously with her long braid.

Cloud shook his head and sighed. "They wouldn't even let me in." He hung his head, hands on his knees.

The girl beside him lowered her eyes as they darkened and turned grim. A look of hate that seemed uncharacteristic of such a pretty girl came over her face. "Shinra..." A few tears fell down her flushed cheeks.

Slowly, Cloud glanced back up at her. "A - Aerith?" The girl was curling up, head in her hands, arms resting on her knees. Immediately Cloud moved closer to her, and when her heard the girl sob, he gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"The whole c - company..." Aerith muttered, her voice cracking. "All of them... j - just..." Cloud shushed her, rubbing her back to console her.

"He'll be all right." The blonde promised. Suddenly, Aerith raised her head and set a hard look on him.

"Really?" She whispered. "He'll be all right? That's all you can say?" Cloud was stunned.

"Aerith...?" He held her tighter. "This... this isn't like you..."

She turned away angrily, biting her lip. "Do you even know me anymore?" This didn't only shock Cloud, it hurt him. Aerith didn't give him time to respond. "More and more, you and Zack stay in that place. You obsess over it. And they -" She spun back around. "They keep injecting - changing you! I can sense it! I don't like it!"

"Aerith, please!" People were beginning to stare.

Luckily for Cloud, Aerith gave one last pitiful sob and feel silent, head resting on her legs, her braid falling over her shoulder.

Cloud snapped out of the memory and into the present when he felt the freezing cold hand grip his own, fingernails digging into his palm. Frightened, he jumped and glanced to the left, but no one was there.

 After a moment, he began to breath easily again.

_Why did I think of all that now...?_ He wondered, his left hand lifted towards his face. _Why did that memory surface? _Cloud looked like he was about to cry for a moment, imagining the beautiful flower girl in his mind... she couldn't be dead! She couldn't!

Suddenly, Cloud felt a cold breath on his neck, as if someone much taller than him was just behind him. He spun around and saw no one.

"Cid!" Cloud screamed out of fear. He was in no mood for games. "Cut it out!"

His shouts echoed and no one responded. Still, Cloud remained where he was, waiting. Finally, once he felt calmer, he turned around.

Someone was standing in the doorway no more than a few feet from where Cloud stood. The blond almost jumped out of his skin, but this time, managed to keep from screaming. The person did not seem to respond to Cloud's fear. In fact, it almost looked like they were in a trance.

The person was a teenager, shorter than Cloud by a few inches, with long brown hair pulled up into a braid, a pink bow tying it back. Her eyes were the most vivid green, and she wore a summer dress, which flared out above her knees, was white, and had blue flowery designs on it.

It was Aerith; a much younger Aerith, to be sure, but her nonetheless. It was the Aerith Cloud remembered a moment ago, they way she had looked when she was sixteen. A small, innocent smile was on her face.

"AERITH!" Cloud screamed in joy, not totally realizing that she was too young to be the real one. He clearly wasn't thinking straight. Immediately he raced towards her, reaching to pull her into his arms. But next he knew, he was falling, his arms full of air. Cloud spun back around. He had passed through the space Aerith had stood, like nothing had been there.

When he turned, he could now see Aerith standing across the way, her smile turned into a grin. Girlish laughter echoed through the space. Once again Cloud screamed her name, and raced after. This time, he watched as the girl slowly turned and began to run down the other hall, away from him.

"WAIT!" He shouted.

Suddenly, a terrible rocking ran through the ship, and for a moment the ground flew sideways and Cloud was knocked off his fit. He hit the ground hard as the entire ship rumbled in agony. Still, he rushed to his feet.

 Everything shook like an earthquake had hit; the joints squealed in complaint as screws came loose and valves exploded, hissing like snakes. Amidst the chaos and confusion, Cloud struggled to stand and run down the hall Aerith had run into. Even with all the horrible noise, Cloud could hear her laughter...

One of the screws popped off the wall and flew through the air, almost hitting Cloud. More of these giant projectiles began flying around, and the blond could only hit the deck and cover his head. As he protected himself from the debris, Cloud glanced through his fingers and saw the hallway was empty.

Aerith was gone.

-=-=-

Only a few minutes prior, Cid Highwind's crew had been dealing with a problem with the guidance system.

"Whaddya mean, we're there! There' ain't no town! We can both see that!" Cid shouted at his subordinate. the man he was shouting at had worked for Cid for a long time, and thus was use to his treatment.

"Yes, but the system indicates that we've arrived. Perhaps the boy was right." The crewman murmured gently. "The town could've been destroyed."

A hopeless, almost defeated look came over Cid's face. "But then - where did Shera -"

"Sir!" Another crewman, a woman, ran forward. "The weather's changed dramatically. We're about to run into a cloud bank!"

"Screw that." The Captain murmured. "Damn it all, we just did."

He nodded to the large windshield ahdead. His men turned; gasps ran through the room.

The entire windshield was covered in a great, black fog, entirely too thick to see through, almost too thick to be natural.

"This ain't good. Goddammit!" The pilot cursed.

"We should turn back immediately. This is a very mountainous area - we could be in serious trouble!"

"We could? Really? I think we are!" Someone else shouted.

"We should land right now - who knows were this bank ends, we could already be deep inside it!"

"Shut the hell up, all of you!" Cid grimaced and tightened his hold on the steering wheel. Another curse escaped him and her slammed his fist against the metal.

"Shera..." He muttered. "Where the hell are ya?"

The ship lunged forward suddenly, taking the crew by surprise and throwing many of them around like dolls. Cid himself was flung against the wheel hard, hitting his throat against the top.

"Shit! What'd we hit!" The Captain shouted. All sorts of sirens were going off, and red lights flashed.

"I don't know, radar's jammed!" One crewman shouted.

"Communications too! I can't reach the engine room!"

"Everything's going crazy! The controls aren't working!"

"GODDAMMIT!"

-=-=-

"Wait!" Cloud shouted, though he had no idea if Aerith could hear him or not. He was hardly thinking clearly - all he could think of was _She's here she's here she's alive she's ALIVE!_ Nothing else occurred to him.

Adrenaline mixed with fear drove Cloud to his feet as he rushed down the hallway, looking for shelter. It seemed that the airship had become a death trap, falling apart and dooming all those stuck within. There was no where to go.

Cloud kept running, past crewmen rushing to their stations. One such man grabbed Cloud as he ran by, nad held on tight to keep the panicked man from escaping.

"Sir! Sir!" He screamed to get Cloud's attention. Even when Cloud did listen, he hardly heard a word. The man pointed down the hall and to the left, and said something, but before he'd finished Cloud was off again.

_Aerith, where'd you go? Aerith! Is Zack with you? Come back! _

"Aerith!!"

The heat... it was everywhere... the pipes that exploded let out bursts of steam, and the rushing bodies all around let off heat, too. It was so warm... warm like...

Warm like fire.

And suddenly, he was back there, back in Nibelheim. But the woman he was chasing wasn't Aerith, it was his mother... he had to find his mother... before she could get hurt...

And everywhere, all around him, people were screaming... running... Thundering roars deafened as the fire cackled and raged and the wood houses tumbled apart. The fire was so close... so close...

"Sir! Sir!"

A crew woman grabbed Cloud's shoulders and hoisted him up, dragging him down the hallway. At some point he must've fallen to his knees. "You have to get out of here! You have to go!" As Cloud returned to himself, he began running again, and the woman led him through the crowd to the escape pod.

As she began, pressing buttons on the wall, Cloud rested. "What about... all of you?" He asked.

The woman turned and smiled as the pod doors opened. Cloud realized it was the same auburn haired woman who'd spoken to him earlier. His eyes went to her name tag; it read "Jessie". "We're the crew, sir." She gestured to the pod. "We go down with the ship." The she moved past him, patting his shoulder as he went.

The man spun around to watch her go. Then with tentative footsteps, he stepped into the escape pod.

-=-=-

Another thunderous screech split the air as metal ripped apart. Cid cursed and struggled to keep the steering wheel steady. "What the hell was that!?"

"I don't know sir! None of this shit's working!" The instruments were squealing madly, none of them doing their job.

A crack, like breaking glass; then another, and another. Horrified Cid watched as the windshield began splitting, tiny cracks racing across it like a mosaic. "Fucking hell..." Cid gripped the wheel so hard his hands turned white.

Lurching forward, the ship suddenly began flying at angle, then free falling through the air. Screams filled the room, and those who weren't tied down or holding on tight enough were tossed like dolls against the windshield, breaking it more and painting it with their blood.

"GODDAMMIT everybody sit the fuck down and buckle the fuck up!!" The Captain screamed as the ship fell faster.

All at once the fog disappated and the crew could see that they were mere seconds from crashing into a dilapidated house, nose first. there was no time to prepare as the metal screeched and wood burst, and the front window finally shattered. Those buckled in fared better than those who, like Cid, were merely hanging on for dear life.

The Captain was thrown over the wheel, falling through the empty space, careening downward. But he did not hit the ground; the ship had barreled through all the levels of the house, into the basement, which looked so dark it might go on forever. It was unfathomably deep. Cid fell through the air, through the broken windshield, and into the house, tumbling into the darkness.

-=--=-

Before Cloud could even sit down, the escape pod suddenly broke away from the ship. It lurched sideways, knocking the man off his feet, and then it plummeted. Cloud didn't even realize he was screaming again until his voice went hoarse.

Faster and faster the ship flew, spinning like a top in free fall. After what seemed like ages, but was only mere seconds, the escape pod crashed hard into something, then fell again, and hit the ground. On the second fall, Cloud lurched forward, his head hitting the metal wall hard. Immediately, he was knocked unconscious.

-=-=-

In Midgar, Tifa Lockhart struggled to compose herself as Shalua Rui's sudden question rang through her mind.

"Where was I... when Sephiroth..." She closed her eyes tight and let out a weary sigh.

The taller woman cast a learned gaze over her. "You were there." Tifa shook her head.

"No, but I - I've had to deal with the damage." Her words came out as another sigh.

"Meaning, Cloud Strife?" Shalua asked. The other woman's look hardened.

Glaring, Tifa stood. "What does this have to do with you?" She backed away. "How dare you come here and - and drudge up all these bad memories!"

Seemingly, Shalua understood what Tifa was saying. She backed off. "I'm not a reporter, nor am I from Shinra. I'm not here to pry."

Still, Tifa seemed skeptical. "Then why come here?"

It didn't seem like Shalua wanted to answer that question. She glanced away, eyelids fluttering.

"I..." She sighed. "First, let me ask you: has Cloud told you anything about Nibelheim?"

Tifa returned to the defensive. "I'm not answering any questions until you answer mine."

"It's not about that." Shalua sat on a stool, legs crossed. "You won't understand why I'm here unless you at least slightly understand what Nibelheim really was... is."

Tifa's expression changed. "'Is'?" She looked concerned.

The other woman nodded, and motioned to the couch. "You might want to sit down." She did so, apprehensively.

Once they were comfortable, Shalua began her twisted tale.

"You and your friend Cloud grew up together in Nibelheim correct?" Shalua started. After a moment, Tifa murmured, "Yes".

"Then you know that Nibelheim was a small, unimportant place, not even popular with tourists. The only place of import in the town was -"

"A medical lab." Tifa said. She glanced away, lost in memory. "I remember when they set it up, in that creepy old manor. Shinra used it to treat wounded SOLDIERS."

"That wasn't it's true purpose." Shalua explained with a frown. Sighing, she brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "Shinra was forever looking for better, cheaper ways to be powerful and wealthy. Power and money, that was everything. The NIbelheim med lab was used for some of Shinra's darker dealings."

"Like, what?" Tifa asked. "What'd they work on, materia, or guns, or something?"

"I'm afraid not." Shalua paused, trying to think of the best way to put her words, though there truly was no easy way to say them. Meanwhile, Tifa felt her blood rush as thoughts raced through her head.

_Then... if not materia, or weapons... what could it be?_

Then Tifa thought of the SOLDIERs, the injured men she'd always seen coming in and out of the lab.

"Don't tell me... humans were...?" Shalua answered Tifa's whispered question with a nod.

"That's what SOLDIER was. Modified humans. Of course, that modification was done most anywhere controlled by Shinra. Nibelheim... went much deeper."

A horried shiver wracked Tifa's body, and she turned away. "My home... they..." The terrible truth began to sink in. "The fire..."

"Sephiroth was one of those experimented on. Perhaps he got tired of it. I don't really know, and to tell the truth, I don't care. He doesn't interest me." Shalua tapped her finger against her chin. "I know this is hard to digest, but I need you to answer my questions now."

Forlorn, Tifa simply nodded. "Good. First, where is Cloud Strife?"

This question Tifa couldn't answer. "He disappeared this morning. It's not unusual for him to come and go, but..."

"But?" Shalua was getting impatient.

Nervous, Tifa began to explain the letter and the argument she and Cloud had had.

"Wonderful..." Almost before Tifa had finished speaking, Shalua stood and sauntered to the door. Tifa leapt up and followed after.

"Wait!" She shouted. "Where are you going?" Tifa followed the woman outside.

"I need to talk to your friend, and right now he's probably headed back 'home'. If he steps foot inside that town..." The woman's look lost some of its strength. "Then I'll never get my answers."

"If you're going after Cloud, take me." The brunette demanded. "I have to go."

"And what of your son?"

Despite the fact Tifa was surprised by the question, she quickly said, "I know someone who can take care of him. I'll call him on the way."

After a moment of grin thought, Shalua nodded. "You can come. Don't bother packing anything, just take your phone." Tifa agreed, running back in to get her keys and her cell, then rushing back out.

"One more question." Tifa said as they walked down the street together. She followed Shalua's lead down a dingy side street. "Why are you doing this?"

Shalua quickly responded. "I'm looking." They came up upon a blue Honda civic. Shalua unlocked it and stepped into the driver's seat. Tifa hesitated.

"For what?"

The older woman glanced at Tifa. Without pause, she told her.

"My reason to live."

-=--=-

TWO DAYS LATER

Midgar

Highwind Dissapearance Communiqué

_... The Shinra model Highwind airship took off from the Central Midgar terminal at approximately 8:45 a.m. It crossed the channel and arrived at Nibel mountain range around 3:30 p.m._

_At 3:34 p.m., the Highwind crew sent an emergency alert to the tower, reporting a sudden drastic change in the weather and engine failure. Other instruments began to fail a few minutes later, and at 3:41 p.m., communications with the ship was lost._

_At approximately 3:43 p.m., the Highwind disappeared on radar, and could not be relocated._

_Search teams were sent to the Nibel mountains, but as of yet, no remnants or suvivors have been found..._

-=-=-

**The real fun begins next chapter.**

**Hehehe... 83**

**Also, I need the reader's opinions on which pairings to do. There are many to chose from. **

**The only one that is dead set is Aerith and Zack. That one is definite.**

**Others could vary, and I welcome any type of pairing, hetero, gay, or lesbian. Here are a few choices for the readers to decide upon. And yes, romance isn't exactly the focus here, but it does spice things up.**

**We could have:**

**VincentCid, or CidShera and VincentReeve. **

**On the Cloud side, I'd really love to have a SephCloud, eventually. If y'all don't oppose it too much.**

**Also, perhaps:**

**AngealGenesis**

**BarretTifa, RenoTifa, or ShaluaTifa**

**Yes, that last one isn't exactly common, but Shalua and Tifa are going to do a lot of work together, and I think if they ended up together, it'll add a whole nother level to the horrid evilness and darkness and gore of this story. Because something very bad will happen. 83**

**Also:**

**DenzelMarlene (Awww!), or DenzelShelke. Yes, that one's also weird, but it too will add to the horrificness if that pairing happens.**

**Any others I can think of... hmm... not really. If y'all have any more ideas, send them my way.**

**I like to spice up my horror fics with sex. **

**XD**

**SULHADAHNE**


	3. broken town

**Final Hell**

_"Into the fire, she swallowed their hate..."_

Chapter Three: the broken town

/// _..._

_..._

_wha... what?_

_I - I..._

_where am I...?_

_it..._

_it smells ... like her..._///

When Cloud tried to sit up, he found his face was stuck to the floor. It felt like glue had been poured on his left cheek and forehead, sticking his hair to his face and his skin to the ground. Slowly, he sat himself up, hissing at the pulling sensation, until it finally gave way. The world shook as he moved, everything he saw danced about, his hand wavered as he lifted it to his face.

_Not glue... what?_

When he removed his hand, flakes of red sat in his palm. It slowly came to him that there was dried blood covering his face, and a very sore wound on his forehead. He touched it gingerly, wincing, feeling a bit of blood come off. It had mostly closed, but it was still nasty.

The man was lying in a garden. Shivering, he tried moving his legs, which burned with lack of circulation. He glanced about, despite his blurry eyesight.

Cloud was inside of a decrepit church, soiled by dust, mold, and ash. Rows and rows of benches filled it, each blackened and falling apart, piled together. The roof was hardly there, with gaping holes in it, and through it a dark grey sky could be seen. It was as close to death as a building could be, without falling to its knees. Cloud knew the place, and a horrid shudder ran through him.

"Ghhnn... gah!" He clutched his shoulders and shut his eyes, but the memories still returned.

_"Ooooh, Cloud! Cloud! Over here!"_

_The teenager had a small smile on his face, glancing about the street._

_"Cloooud! Stop taking so long!"_

_He couldn't stop the grin coming to his face, and turned the corner towards the town church. The door was slightly ajar. Somehow his grin grew broader and he raced threw it._

_In the center of the church, at the front of the room, stood a young woman. She glanced up at him, giggled, and shook her head. "What took you so long! I came all the way from Midgar to visit you, and you -"_

_He didn't let her finish her sentence, instead hurrying to her side and lifting her off her feet. Aerith screamed as he spun her around, though the girlish shouts became laughter, and was soon joined by his._

"Hnng... uhhh..." The horrid reality of what the building had become made the whole situation much realer. It all came down on him, with the weight of gravity, sinking his soul lower and lower...

Suddenly the boy snapped his head up, then reeled from the sensation. Gasping, he managed to stand, and glanced at the roof. Where had the airship gone? Where was everyone?

"I hope... Cid and his crew are all right..." Even though they had been headed to Nibelheim anyway, it somehow felt as if he was to blame... the man sighed and glanced at the church again. It was strangely cold. He rubbed his arms, and moved towards the door.

"Wait a minute..." He paused, glanced back. Flowers? The church floor had been destroyed by fire, and through it a small patch of flowers was growing. Most were now flattened, a few flecked with red, but they were a bit of life that refreshed the man. He smiled.

"_Teehehehe_!"

Cloud snapped around so fast he lost his footing, his head spinning from the painful wound. If it weren't for the wound, he might've recovered faster, but the blinding pain kept him from focusing. For only just a moment, out of the corner of his eye, was Cloud able to watch as a form in pale blue dashed out of sight just outside the church doors.

"Aerith!" He screamed, still reeling. He stumbled to the doorway. "Aerith!" He shoved the doors open, one hand to his bleeding head, and turned right. "AERITH!" Feet pounding on the dirty, debris ridden ground, Cloud barreled down the street, ash floating down around him.

Blurred vision allowed him to see just barely the blue form fading into the distant fog, running through the streets with a light laugh trailing after her. Cloud pushed himself harder. He took no notice of the abandoned town, blackened by blaze and fallen down around him. He saw no blood drenched grounds, no strange black liquids covering pathways, no torn bodies on the dirt.

The shifty forms in the fog, the shuddering movements of something in the distance, he never saw. But these beings sensed him, lifted their heads (or what counted as one) and were aware.

And they started to move.

-=-=-

Rain slid across the window as the tone rang in her ear again. Tifa tapped her finger against the cell and waited. No one was answering.

"Come on, Barret..." She whispered. "Come on!"

"_Yo, who's this?_"

"Barret!" She sat up in the seat. Shalua glanced at her from the driver's seat, but said nothing. "It's Tifa."

"_What's wrong? Where are ya? Y'sound tired_." The woman almost chuckled as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah, uh, listen. I need you to watch Denzel for me for a couple of days."

"_What? Come on, Tif, you know I got -_"

"I know, I know, late notice, but it's important." With tired eyes, Tifa plopped her head back against the headrest. "I really need you to do this. Please." The phone was quiet for a moment, until a soft sigh came through.

"_Where are ya now_?"

"On my way out of the continent." Tifa almost laughed at the list of expletives that spewed from his mouth. Shalua could hear him, and raised an eyebrow.

"_What the hell girl? What's goin' on? You runnin' from somebody_?" The concern was obvious in his voice, and Tifa might've been touched in a different situation. Currently, it weighed more heavily on her, made her feel so much sleepier, so much more exhausted.

"Nope." She huffed, eyes red. "Running after them."

-=-=-

Cid awoke to a devastating, overwhelming sense of loss.

"Fuck, fuck, FUCKING SHIT, DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! FUCK!!"

Sprawled across the ground, eyes shut tight, he grimaced and let out every curse combination known to man. His ship was gone. His crew, most of it, was probably dead, the rest might be soon. And he was in the darkness, with a sharp pain coming from each and every one of his godforsaken muscles.

_First Shera... now every fucking other thing... all gone in a fucking blink of an eye!_

Shera... the thought made him pause with his expletives. Eyes already closed, he couldn't avoid the images that swam from the back of his mind.

_"I can't do this anymore!" The woman sobbed, wrist held over her mouth._

_"S - Shera... I can explain, I... shit..." The engineer glanced from his woman's face, to the light pain on his knuckles, to the bruise forming on her porcelain cheek. "Shera..." What had he done? A tight feeling started to fill his stomach, his chest. Shera was backing away for the door. _ No! Don't go!

_Cid jumped forward, arm reaching for her, and she squealed, flinching like she might be hurt, and fell to the ground. Concerned, Cid rushed over to pick her up, but, "Don't!" She shouted. Shera never shouted; she never shouted when he shouted at her, never cursed when he cussed her out. But now... he'd crossed a line. _

_The woman used the wall to pick herself back up. "I'm sorry Cid... I'm so sorry..." Cid shook his head, shook it hard, but said nothing. Shera opened the screen door slightly. "I'm going to go see my parents for a while... I just... need to be alone." _

_Cid finally found his voice as she disappeared out the door. "Shera..." His knees gave way. "Shera!"_

_She was gone._

"Shit..."

The mechanic flexed his fingers, trying to see if anything was broken. Sure enough, a few on his left hand refused to move, and a lightning strike of pain raced up his arm when he tried. The man groaned but said nothing. He moved his feet, his legs; luckily enough they seemed to be working fine, though his right calf burned like hell.

Cid touched his chest with his right hand; he felt a sticky substance, most certainly blood, and to his delight, a piece of glass embedded in his left shoulder. Joy of joys, his upper left side was now useless. With a grunt and a grimace, Cid took hold of the glass, pulled slowly, and then yanked it out.

"SHIT! Goddammit!"

Then, he tried to sit up, ignoring the hellfire of pain that wracked his body, especially his shoulder. He opened his eyes.

Closed them.

Opened them again.

"Shit..." The man cursed. "There's no fucking difference if their open or not! I can't see shit either fucking way!"

He huffed and tried to stand. It was slow going, but eventually he was on his feet. Even with eyes open, he was standing in pitch black darkness. Anger flared up inside him, to a bursting point, and he let out an enraged scream.

"ERAAAHHHH!!" He shouted. If anything could be seen, he would've punched it. As it was, he stopped shouting and talking, breathing heavily, and for the first time listened to his surroundings. The man paused, looking confused.

There were noises coming from around him that he hadn't noticed earlier. Were his crew members nearby? He kind of hoped not; Cid had just had his own kind of meltdown, and he didn't want anyone seeing him that way. He stayed silent, and listened. The noises... disturbed him.

_Damn... it almost sounds like... like somebody gettin' a hand stuck in a rotor and losing the damn thing... nasty!_

What the hell was it? Cid wasn't sure whether to travel away or towards the noise? In the end, he couldn't avoid it, because he wasn't sure where it was coming from. It echoed through the hall all around.

"Hey... Hello?" He finally said. "Anybody out here?" The noise continued. Something else made a sound he could barely hear... it was muffled. "Hey, if you're there, speak up dammit!" The muffle got louder, and it almost sounded... desperate?

Heart skipping a beat, Cid noticed the noise was getting a little loud. He backed up, though he didn't know where to go, and then cursed that he could get scared so easily.

"Stop playing these fucking games!" The man screamed. "Come out here already!" That was redundant though, since Cid wouldn't be able to see him anyway.

The noise was nearby, only feet away in an instance. Cid jumped, his leg spiking with pain. Unable to see, he could only hear the noise, and now that it was close... it sounded barbaric. Like a ... like slop, a wet noise, gurgling, like a dog at a feast... there was scuffling too, the scraping of ... of feet? Boots on the ground? Or something else? And that muffle... it was louder... it was... a voice?

"Mmmmh!! Ahhmmmhh! Ghhh! Gaaaaahhh! Maahhmnn!" It sounded... sounded bad. Sounded really, really bad.

And it was feet from Cid, getting closer with a "sttikk", ... "sttikk". Somebody was getting rough now, he could tell, he could hear someone throwing their weight around, kicking at something, and the muffling now sounded like muffled screams... but it was hard to tell because whoever was trying to speak sounded like their mouth was full of... of water, or something...

Cid's heart was out of his chest, drumming in his ears, and his useful hand was shaking like a leaf. He did not call himself a easily frightened man, but...

"What is this?" The man whispered, backing away from the noise. "What the hell is this shit?"

"AHHHHMMMLLLM! HAAAHHHLM! MHHLHHHLLLHH!" The wet noise got louder, and then... a crunch.

Cid bolted. He turned and ran, despite the sharp pain in his leg, and despite not knowing where to run. He still could see nothing, not even the hand in front of his face. All he knew was that he did not want to be where he was, anywhere but there.

He felt wind blow by him, heard the whirring of motor blades nearby, heard more... noises... in the distance. Nothing stopped him, he kept running, until he finally heard something distinct.

"Help! SOMEBODY HELP!"

Cid slid to a stop. Was that a crew member? He listened for another call.

"Help us, please!"

To the left.

"Help's comin', hold on!" Cid turned and walked this time, not wanting to hit anyone.

"Captain? Is that you?" A new voice asked.

Cid kept walking, and found the darkness abating a bit. The hall got a little lighter; there was a large gaping hole in the ceiling, and through it, a bit of reddish light filtered down. It made seeing easier, though not perfect.

The hallway, Cid could now see, was rusted, blood spattered, and covered in gunk and dirt. The red tinted light made it eerie, and the man almost shivered.

"Down here!"

He glanced up, and almost smiled. He knew them!

"Biggs! Wedge! I'm comin'!" Cid hurried over, ignoring his pain, and joined his two allies.

The one called Wedge let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god! I was afraid we'd be stuck down here." He grinned at the Captain, face covered in blood.

"How are ya? Where're hurt?"

"It's not good..." Wedge sighed, and glanced at Biggs. The man was breathing harshly, one arm grasping the other at the shoulder, tight. Cid frowned deeply when he noticed it. It looked like his arm had gotten caught in something, and lacerated near the shoulder. It was only held on by a few pieces of muscle.

"Damn..." He saw all the blood the man was losing, and his pale face, and knew they didn't have much time. "What about you?" Cid glanced at Wedge.

"Concussion, I think... cuts and bruises... but I'm better off than him." The man sighed. "I just can't help him. Each time I try to stand, the world spins and sends me back down."

"Dammit..." _Not good._ Cid grimaced and brushed a hand through his hair. He had to make a choice to leave one of them down here, with those... things. And who knew if he'd ever find his way back to them?

"I can't carry both of ya..." _And, truth be told, the odds are better that you'll live, Wedge_. Biggs had already bled a lot; he was lying in a pool of his blood almost bigger than him. He didn't want to say it, and he didn't have to. By the grimace on Wedge's face as he looked at his friend, he knew. Biggs glanced up slowly, sweat pouring down his face. He nodded.

"G - Go." He told them. "Take him." Wedge frowned darkly.

"Biggs..." The other man said nothing, but smiled. He was shaking.

"Do ya..." Cid tried to think of something. The man was gonna die, there had to be a way to make it easier... he thought of it.

Reaching into his pocket, Cid pulled out his cigarettes and his lighter. He kneeled by Biggs, put one in his mouth, and lit it. The man inhaled slowly. Instead of speaking, he nodded a thank you.

"You're a good man. Honored to have you on the crew." _My crew. Crashed on my watch. Dead cause of me._ Cid frowned darkly, and felt like cussing, but didn't. _No respect in cursing your luck round a dead man. _

Then, Cid kneeled by Wedge, and put an arm around him. He hoisted him to his feet, and together, they managed to walk. Wedge looked one last time to Biggs.

"See ya... bro." He looked on the verged of crying. Biggs managed to smile. Then, they turned and walked away.

-=-=-

It was a long drive to the port, Junon, and it seemed longer with the tension that was in the car. Tifa had so many questions she wanted to ask, and she felt like Shalua would probably answer her. But... she almost didn't want to know the answers.

Tifa had grown up in Nibelheim, but had left for Midgar with Cloud at sixteen. Years later, Cloud had returned to Nibelheim on a mission for Shinra, and that was when it happened. The horrible fire, Sephiroth's betrayal. It burned her heart with hate to think of him.

She had never really hated him when he was alive, though she had wanted to. The General had been polite, kind, and respectful, and had treated Cloud and Zack, her friends, very well. But it was because of him that Cloud had become so... so broken. Because of that night. Now she had every right to hate him.

She still didn't know everything; Cloud had told her next to nothing. The news said that some sort of explosion had occurred in the Mansion, and the fire had spread to the town. Knowing some people inside Shinra, Tifa had learned that Sephiroth had aborted the mission and begun attacking Shinra employees. The town had just been in the way.

What happened to Sephiroth afterwards, no one knew. It was perhaps the thing that had haunted Cloud most; as much pain as the boy had gone through because of the General, for the months that Cloud had been in the hospital, he would always ask if the man had returned.

_"Has he come back?"_

_"Is he at headquarters?"_

_"Did the general return?"_

Cloud never told her what happened. All she could know were the wounds; the burns, covering his arms, like he'd flung them into the fire. His back had been lacerated, his legs broken in various places. Something had fallen on him, and he'd been lucky not to break his spine. His spirit was broken instead.

"How long has it been?"

Tifa sprang out of her reverie. "What?"

Shalua turned her serious gaze on her. "Since you've been there. To Nibelheim."

The town had never been her favorite place, home or no. "I was sixteen last I was there. I got out of that hickville as soon as I could."

The woman didn't betray anything on her face. "I see." Tifa frowned. _What do you know?_

The kept driving in silence. Tifa kept wringing her hands, staring out the window. She wanted, so desperately, for Cloud to be okay. To be unhurt. But it had been years since he'd been okay.

"Who was at Nibelheim?" Tifa finally found herself asking.

For once, Shalua was taken off guard. "What?"

The dark haired woman turned to her. "I'm going because Cloud was there. Who did you care about who got caught in the fire?" She asked.

Shalua's eyes darkened, but she nodded, and turned back to the road.

"My sister."

-=-=-

"Have... have you..." Cid grunted and hoisted Wedge back up a bit. "Did you and Biggs see anything... weird down here?"

The man glanced at his captain. "We hadn't seen anything. I... think I heard something, but it was really far away." That almost made the Captain wince.

They were heading down another hallway, light filtering through the holes in the roof, but it was still rather dark. Neither of them really knew where they were going, but they had to keep moving. Wedge was able to walk all right, with Cid supporting them.

The hallway was the same as they kept walking, and seemed to go on forever. The only differences were the patterns of blood on the ground.

_I really, really don't fucking like this_. Something's wrong here. He thought. _Place like this... I know my men didn't bleed on all of this shit._

They kept moving, until finally, they found a staircase. Cid's heart dropped.

"This... is great." Wedge muttered.

"Shit... I've got the shittiest luck. Why the hell does it go down!?" The man grumbled. Wedge tried to be positive.

"This might go down, but it must go back up somewhere. There has to be a way out."

"Not if its behind us." Cid muttered. But there was no way he was going back there. So down it was.

Just as they were about to step down the stairs, both men halted. Something felt... off. Wrong.

"What's that?" Wedge muttered.

"RAAAHAHHAHHHHH! AAGGGGHH!"

The men jumped, spinning around, and Wedge almost fell down the staircase. Someone... was screaming. The noise was pathetic, horribly pained, and echoing all around. It could be from anywhere. But Cid had a horrible feeling.

"Biggs!?" Wedge shouted.

"GGRAHHH! MAARRGHHLH! MLHHLMLLM!" Cid's heart stopped. _The exact same noises._

"Did that..." He wondered, breath quickening. _Did that thing follow me?_

"MLMHLM! MLLMMM!"

"Biggs!" Wedge screamed desperately. "BIGGS!"

"Shit!" Cid screamed. He turned them both and headed down the stairs, pulling Wedge with him. "We've gotta get outta here! Now!"

"BIGGS!" Wedge shouted, sobs escaping him. "B - Biggs!"

"MMMMLMMM!"

And the noise. Wedge probably couldn't hear it over the sound of his screaming, but Cid could. He could hear the wet slobbering... the nasty gurgling... and when the screams died and the wet noise stopped he heard the movement... _sttikk_. _Sttikk_.

"Shit, shit, shit!" The man raced down the stairs, Wedge now moving with him, though reluctantly. "Come on! Get a fucking move on, or we're next!" Their feet pounded down the rickety metal structure, and down they went, further into darkness.

The heat increased, and smoke filtered up through the air. Something was hissing below, and sweat began pouring down their brows. The two kept racing down, away from whatever had claimed their friend.

The staircase ended, and they founded themselves in a dark place. Cid could see a bit ahead, but not well, and not far. Breathing hard, the two glanced around.

"What the fuck do we do now?" Cid muttered. But he knew; move forward. So, he hoisted Wedge up and they kept moving.

The hissing and spitting of some kind of machines were all around them, and for the first time, the sounds didn't comfort Cid. The mechanic grimaced with every movement; his wounded leg was now bleeding badly from all the running, and hoisting Wedge up with only one arm was wearying. But they had to keep going, or they'd... Cid shook his head and grimaced, ignoring his thoughts.

_Shera... she's in here somewhere. And so's my crew. I'm not stopping. Not 'til I get them all outta here. I'm not livin' with all their deaths on my conscience._

Thus, they kept going.

"Hey... hey cap'n..." Wedge muttered. Cid's gut clenched. He glanced at Wedge and saw that the running had hurt him, too. "Cap'n... do you really think that was Biggs... was that Biggs?"

"Hell no..." The man lied. "Biggs... he was probably dead just a minute after we left him. The reaper had already rang that guy's ticket."

"Then... was it another crew member?"

Cid's heart clenched. "That... maybe. Probably. Yeah." Cid cursed. "Probably fucking was."

Wedge gasped. "Why... where are we? What the hell is this?"

"Dunno, but stop the fucking talkin', or you're gonna blab all your energy away, you retard." Wedge fell silent, and they kept going.

The walk seemed to be forever. Each step echoed with the whirring noises, and they kept going in the dark. They never seemed to get any farther, and the room never changed. They didn't turn any corners, just kept going straight, and Cid tried to ignore the blood painting the walls. Wedge's head had fallen onto his shoulder a while back, and a bit of drool was coming off his lips.

"Cap'n..." Wedge whispered. "I don't wanna... die in the dark."

Cid pulled him back up. "You kiddin'? Only people that die in the dark are the ones dumb enough to close their eyes. So don't close your eyes; promise me. Say it. Don't close..."

"Don't... close... my eyes..."

"That's right, keep 'em open, or I'm gonna find a replacement for you on my ship, you want that?"

"No, cap'n..."

"Damn right you don't."

The darkness got deeper for a moment, as the holes in the ceiling stopped. Cid's breathing hitched, but they kept moving, and Cid listened intently for any kind of noise. Still nothing. The weight on his shoulder got heavier. Cid grimaced.

"Come on, you gotta fucking lift yourself, Wedge, or I'm droppin' ya... Wedge?"

The Captain kept walking, until they were into the light again. He turned and glanced at Wedge. The man's head had fallen forward, blood oozing out. His skin was all but pure white, and when Cid touched the man's wrist...

"No pulse. No pulse! NO! Goddammit!" He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, cursed in his mind and fought the unmanly tears in his eyes. Slowly, he kneeled and set Wedge against the wall. Then, he looked on his face, and smiled a bit.

"Never did close your eyes..." The man's vision was clouded, but his eyelids were open. Cid ruffled his hair. "Rest in peace, soldier. Did... did damn good."

Then, with a heavier back now than when he'd carried Wedge, Cid moved on, trying to hold himself together.

The darkness encompassed him again, but Cid found it easier to face with anger in his heart. He was angry; angry at this godforsaken place for claiming his crew, his damn fine crew, in such a dishonorable way. This wasn't a way to die, bleeding to death alone in the dark. Cid walked with his head held high. He wasn't going to let himself die down here; and he was gonna save whoever he could find. Though he ignored the fact that, without some attention soon, the wounds on his leg and shoulder could lead him to join the others. He forced himself to ignore that.

Though, he did, finally, when he returned to the light, decide to do something about his leg. He sat down, and took off his shirt gingerly, having to do it with one hand. Once it was off, he removed the pieces of cloth stuck to the wound on his shoulder. Then, he tore it up, and wrapped his calf up.

"Fucking moron... why didn't I do this fucking earlier?" _ Because I was scared outta my fucking mind_, he thought, but just grimaced and said nothing. Once that was done, he moved on, unable to treat the deep wound on his shoulder with only one arm. The blood was coating his chest, and he felt woozy, but he had to keep moving.

_I won't... I won't fucking die here!_

-=-=-=-

Cloud had raced after the distant form for what seemed like hours but never got closer. Finally, his legs gave in, and he collapsed in the dirt, breathing heavily.

"Aerith..." He whispered. The man let his forehead rest against the ground. Was she really alive? He wondered. _Why would she run away from me?_

After a few minutes of rest, Cloud finally stood. He glanced around, feeing a strange nostalgia fill him. On the one hand, he was home. The buildings, the streets, were painfully familiar. On the other, he could also remember watching them burn to the ground. Memories returned like a flood, some good, ... others horrible.

He stumbled along, eyes trained on the town around him._ Blood stains everywhere... are those still here, from back... back then?_

Each house and building brought to him a flash of vision, a sight of the people who had once lived there, and the sight of their mangled bodies on that day. Eventually Cloud put his head down and avoided looking at anything.

Soon he found himself standing in front of that building. He didn't have to look up to know, he could feel the chill in his bones, he could sense the evil of that place. Slowly, he looked up.

The Mansion, in all its intimidating darkness, stood tall before him, blackened by flame but not as fallen apart as the rest of the town. The gate was cracked up, swaying in the wind with a creak of metal. The path was littered with debris, and blood. Cloud's mouth dried, and he turned away.

How he hated the place. The place... that had ruined his life...

"Teehee!"

Cloud's head shot up, and despite the pain, he managed to see distinctly this time, the vision of Aerith standing in the doorway of the mansion. Then she turned and ran inside.

Cloud's breath hitched.

"You want me... to go in there?" No, he couldn't. He could never go... go back in there...

But he knew he had to. Zack was counting on him. Aerith needed him. Wavering hands reached up to the gate, and slowly pulled it open with a sickening _creeeaaak_.

It felt surreal but Cloud knew the boots that were stepping down the path, crunching over the burned wood, were his. He knew the hand taking hold of the doorknob was his, though every cell of his body wanted to turn away. He closed his eyes.

_"General? ... General, sir!?"_

_Sephiroth stormed down the path past him, eyes blazing with... with something. Cloud tried to call to him, but was ignored. The tall man opened the gate violently and his long legs carried him quickly to the inn, disappearing into the fog before Cloud could catch up._

_"General!? ... Sephiroth!!" He didn't care who heard him. Something was wrong. A hand came onto Cloud's shoulder, and he jumped._

_"Something's up." Zack muttered, frowning. "And I don't like it. Seph's been spending all week in that place." Cloud nodded, and looked back to where the General had disappeared._

_"Yeah... he went in last night, and he didn't come out until just now." Cloud told his friend. Zack's eyes widened._

_"What?" The man grimaced. "What the hell are they doing in there?" Both men frowned, uneasy, though they couldn't say why. Together, they turned to look at the tall building, the old mansion that looked to be on its last legs._

_"... what the hell is in that place?"_

Cloud hadn't ever wanted to find out, but it looked like he was about to. He took in one last deep breath, and then stepped inside.

-=-=-=-

Cid was on his last legs. Every hall looked the same, every path seemed to go on forever. At one point, the man had tripped on his bad leg and hit his head on something... he couldn't remember what. All he knew was that now his head was wet, and blood was trickling into his eyes, and it was annoying as hell.

But he didn't stop moving, because he knew that would mean death, and not a pleasant one.

_Not that death's ever a fucking fairytale, but... I don't want that _thing_ to find me._

Eventually he had to use his right arm to stand, pushing against the wall to keep moving. _Not... good..._

**_Stccrrk_**

Cid's heart jumped, and his body leapt like he'd been stung. That was a new noise... and not a nice one.

**_Stccccrk_**

"Least now I can fucking see..." The man muttered. He braced himself for something, anything, and held his breath. "I'm not going down without a fucking fight!" He shouted.

**_SCREEEE_**

The noise was coming from up ahead. Anger flared within the mechanic, and he gritted his teeth. With an enraged roar, the man began to run, racing towards his death with fists held high, ready to take them down with him...

He came to a set of double doors, and didn't stop running, pushing through with his right shoulder. When he burst through the doors, he came into a room filled with darkness, and all he could hear was "SCCRHHCRHH". The noise was deafening. The man groaned, flinched, and covered his ears, reaching out to find something to hold on to.

His hand found some round and metallic, and grasped tightly. Cid lifted it up and felt the familiar weight of a flashlight. The noise continuing, Cid flipped the switch, and light created a path through the room.

The noise stopped, and Cid felt panicky. Flustered, his shaking hand had the light dancing across the room, trying to find the source of the noise. Nothing... nothing...

"Where the fuck are you!?"

The light fell on something in the back corner, a leg or something. Cid's breathing stopped. The beam was shaking, just like his hand, but he moved it up to look at the creature.

Its skin was sickly grey, and it was bone skinny, with the ridges of its back poking through. The thing was hunched over, making light noises, back shaking. The legs were bent at the knees, and when the light finally revealed the whole creature, it turned its head to face him.

It had no face, only a large mouth, and when Cid saw it, the thing screeched.

"SCREEE!" Spit rained from its mouth, splattering the floor with the hiss of acid, and some fell on Cid's skin. It burned like poison. The man cursed, eyes widened, heart beating faster and faster, as the thing lumbered towards him.

"FUCK!" Cid grasped the flashlight so tight his hand was white. He moved back to the doorway. "FUCK!" The man spun around, and with his flashlight hand, shoved the door open, careening into the hallway. Feet slipping on the blood soaked ground, he turned and raced away, not caring where he went. The cursing never stopped.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit, shit, fuck!"

He turned corners, shoved through doors, kept going, not bothering to stop even when he heard more grotesque noises.

_It's official. I'm a bastard, I died in the crash, and I'm already in hell. No way Shera's here; if she's even dead, she's somewhere much higher._

He kept running until his body gave out, and he collapsed inside of a large room that was mostly dark. His labored breathing rang in his ears as his bleeding leg shook with the pain. In a moment his body began to calm down. It was then he heard something.

The man froze. Intently he listened.

_Sttikk_.

"Hnh!" His throat tightened. _No, no, no, fuck no!_

_Sttikk._

_Sttikk._

Jumping, Cid accidentally let go of the flashlight. It rolled slowly, in a circle, until it bumped into a crate and stop. The beam of light was trained on the ceiling, and in the distance, Cid could see something moving, slowly, towards him.

_Sttikk_.

"The same sound..." Cid tried pushing against the ground with his feet, tried to move away, but he was against the wall. Sweat bathed his skin. "The same fucking sound!"

A moment later the thing stepped into the light. Cid screamed, not an expletive, just a cry of total fear, at the sight of the monstrous demonic thing.

It was tall, perhaps ten feet high, and its face stuck out like a round pipe, with a giant mouth on the end. Its limbs were thick, its arms like tree trunks and hanging to the ground, dragging along behind it. That was what the sound was; the dragging flesh behind it. The mouth flailed wildly, shaking back and forth, letting out a horrid snarl. Cid couldn't even think to move from it.

_No!_ the man whimpered and tried to move, but the blood loss had finally gotten to him. _Not like this! I don't want to die down here, blocked off from the sky!_

The thing was leaning down, wavering mouth growing closer and all Cid could think was of the sky, and his airship, and Shera.

_Not like this!_

_Sttikk_.

_Sttikk_.

A new sound burst through the room, hurting Cid's ears, and the man winced and screamed as he thought his death had finally come. The lurking beast suddenly reared back, howling, as some kind of black liquid spewed from its chest all over the blond. Cid saw his chance, and tried to stand. When he couldn't, he shoved at the ground, sliding away towards the flashlight.

Something flew through the air at the beast, and next Cid saw, the long mouth of the creature was crushed in, and more black blood and bile flew into the air. It screeched, and howled, throwing its giant limbs around. One smacked into Cid's injured shoulder, and the blond screamed in agony as he was tossed to the other side of the room. He still had the flashlight at least, but he couldn't open his eyes for the pain. More blood poured from him, and he felt his death coming on for real.

The screams of the beast were silenced, and Cid opened his eyes slightly. He saw someone standing nearby. The mechanic groaned, and the stranger noticed him. The last thing Cid saw before going unconscious were a pair of gold boots approaching him.


	4. monsters in the basement

**Final Hell **

Chapter Four: Monsters in the Basement

"_If only I had a hand grenade..."_

Smoke filled his nostrils as soon as Cloud walked inside the main hall. Coughing, the blond squinted his eyes, trying to see in the dark. It was a mess, a ruined and decrepit place, like a graveyard and Cloud felt like a trespasser. But there was no avoiding it; he had to keep going.

The front hall was ash filled, with broken floorboards, and a chandelier that was hanging on its last chain. It had seen its final days many years before, even earlier than the fire had been. Nervous, Cloud avoided walking under the chandelier and stepped quickly up the stairs.

To the left or right...? He chose right, dashing up the next flight into a hallway. The first door he tried wouldn't open, the lock was broken. The next room was the same, but the third on the right gave results. With a creak, he opened the door and stepped into a small office.

In the center of the room was a desk, likely once owned by a Shinra executive, during the times of the hospital. Cloud stepped behind the burnt mahogany, surprised to see some documents had survived. Despite being aged greatly, he was able to read a bit.

_New Turk deployment this week, two novices, and a reassignment for a junior. Prof. Gast requested, seems to think this new project is "of a relevance and level of danger requiring careful guidance". His associates seem unsure._

The rest of the page was blood covered, and the stench burned his nose. Frowning, Cloud left the desk with an irritated mutter.

He approached the bookshelf on the left wall. Dust covered the bindings, which he gently wiped away with a finger. Each one was a scientific text of some kind. His eyes wandered.

"Huh..." The man blinked, and leaned back. "Couple are missing..." There were three blank spots on the shelves: one on the second to bottom row, one on the middle, and one on the far left. "Wondered what happened to them?"

There was really nothing else to do in the room, so Cloud kept exploring. The next door on the hall was locked, but the room at the very end opened.

It was one of the old laboratory rooms, the ones they would take injured SOLDIERs to for extended treatment. Cloud had known many a man who had spent months in this chamber. Somber, he glanced at the empty beds, blackened and tinged with reds and yellows. "Why is this all still here?" He muttered. Shaking his head, he sauntered to the back of the room.

Something caught his eye on the right; he spun on his heel.

"Was that...?" Blinking, he moved towards the last bed and leaned to look under it. There was something there... reaching back, he grasped for it, when he felt a slight pinch.

"Ow!" He flinched, and frowned when he saw a bit of blood on his index finger. But he still tried again, determined, and this time he managed to extract a shiny object from under the bed.

"A scapel?" Cloud frowned. "Wasn't this the care ward?" They kept patients there; they didn't do surgery. Confused, he examined the worn tool, and after a moment's hesitation, pocketed it. "Never know."

Just before he was going to leave the room, Cloud opened the door and felt it hit something. He glanced down, and was again surprised.

"One of the books." He knelt, picked it up, and turned it about in his hands. Even more surprising; it was a diary. When Cloud tried to open it, the blood it was soaked in kept it glued shut. But a weak page near the front fell out of the binding. Cloud picked it up.

_Two more recruits failed to pass compatibility test. Rising need for SOLDIERs has led to a need for more compatible DNA. Research required._

On a different line, it read:

_Prof. Gast requires more time that we do not have. A replacement has been sought._

"Gast..." The paper on the desk had mentioned somebody by that name, Cloud thought as he retraced his steps to the library. Once inside, he examined the bookshelf. "Wonder where this goes?"

He glanced at the book again: _Hojo's Log Twenty Three_. There were more of the logs on the shelf. Cloud found the empty spot between 22 and 24, and filled it.

With that hall thoroughly explored, Cloud returned to the main stair case and entered the far left hall.

The first door on this hall opened, but inside was just an old bathroom. The next door opened as well, to another office. There were more documents on the desk, notes about patients, memos about meetings. One thing caught Cloud's eye, a key. He pocketed it.

The next door was jammed shut. Cloud then approached a door with a blood stained doorknob, that sent an eerie chill down his spine. After a short period of hesitation, he opened it.

This room was small, with a hospital bed in the center. Cloud thought of the cold metal in his pocket. "This is definitely the place they did surgery..." Cloud grimaced at the metallic tools, similar to the scalpel in his pocket, that lined the table nearby.

As he explored, Cloud noticed something about the bed. His hands trembled as he reached out to touch it. "Restraints?" Frowning, the man saw the leather straps, blood soaked, and grimaced at the implications. "Surely the patients were unconscious...."

Suddenly, Cloud felt his feet lose traction, slipping in something on the cold ground, and as he struggled to keep his balance, fell forward onto his chest.

"Ah! Shit!" Cursing, Cloud winced, eyes catching sight of something metal. The puddle he'd fallen into was flowing towards a vent... Cloud's eyes widened. The key had fallen out of his pocket and was heading for the vent!

"Wait! Fuck!" Just barely, his fingers missed grabbing it, and down it went. The man slammed his fist against the ground.

It took him a moment, but he stood, and grimaced at the sight of blood coating his shirt and parts of his jacket. The substance covered the floor. Stomach churning, the man examined the walls, then turned and left.

Down the hall he went, past another locked door, up a staircase. There was a window to his left, halfway open. Cloud stuck his head out and glanced around, then down. The sight of light fluttering out from another open window below caught his eye.

"Is there something there?" He wondered. The man shrugged, and kept going up the stairs.

Three doors were in this hallway. Floor creaking as he walked, Cloud tried the first. It opened and revealed a bathroom.

It looked relatively normal, other than being extremely dirty and dingy. There was blood here as well, mostly in the far back corner at the last stall. Cloud moved to it nervously, slightly curious.

He knocked twice. "Hello?"

Nothing happened. Cloud shrugged, and turned to go.

_Tap, tap, tap._

The man spun around. Shocked, he blinked, and almost stepped back to the stall. At the last moment he decided against it. "I don't want to know..." When he turned to go, another noise broke the silence.

_Creeeaak._

Bones trembling, the man glanced back. The door had opened. Slowly, nervously, Cloud stepped towards it.

It was just a normal, albeit very nasty and in need of a good cleaning, bathroom. But there was something... Cloud stepped into it and saw a soggy book in the toilet.

"This is sickening..." He grumbled, removing the tome slowly. Half of the pages had disintegrated, the ink on the others totally ruined. Still, he took it, determined to place it where it belonged. Somehow it, ... it felt right to do so.

The next door was jammed, but the last opened.

Inside was a large attic space. Crates and boxes of paperwork and files filled the room. As he walked, Cloud swiped at cobwebs and ducked under pieces of the roof that had caved in. It was terribly musty.

Frowning, Cloud stopped walking at the back corner, where a large musical instrument case stood, next to a safe.

The blond kneeled by it, looking it over. It was locked tight, and he had no idea what the code was. He stood again.

Both halls had been thoroughly searched. Cloud returned to the library, ruined book in hand, to place it back on the shelf. Then he stepped back.

"Two back... where's the third?" He wondered. His eyes scanned the shelves. Then, with a gasp, it came to him. The book was already on the shelf; someone had placed it on its side above the other books. Cloud took it down and examined the cover.

"Holy..." This was not a log kept by the man Hojo; this was _Sephiroth's Log 16. _"He had a diary?" Cloud stared at the book for a moment, heart beating wildly. But then, the curiosity in his eyes dimmed to a darker, angrier hue. The man shoved the book back onto its place on the shelf, and turned away from the damned thing.

Something rumbled. Spinning around, the blond's mouth dropped open as he watched the book shelf recede into the wall, and then disappeared behind the other bookshelf. Behind it was revealed a stairwell, pitch black, leading down far into the darkness. Cloud frowned, surprised. It was almost too dark to see...

As his feet moved towards the stairs, Cloud glanced back one last time. Yet, even as he doubted, the man heard it. Maybe his mind only produced it, or maybe he really had heard the distant laughing... either way, his resolve became cemented, and with hard eyes, he descended into darkness.

-=-=-=-

When next Cid awoke, he was in total darkness.

_Is it possible to die and go to hell twice?_ He wondered vaguely, head reeling in pain. He felt slightly torn apart, as if dogs had been pulling on his limbs with their teeth, and he was woozy from blood loss. But he wasn't bleeding anymore, and he felt somewhat whole. His leg burned.

The mechanic was lying down on something slightly cold, in complete darkness. Squinting he tried to see anything at all and was unable. Cid lifted a hand and hit wood with a thunk.

"Shit!" The man flinched as if he'd been hit, arms flying up. _Thunk! Thunk! _ Slightly panicky, the man began pounding his fists against the wood. _**Thunk! Thunk!**_

"Fucking hell!" He added his feet to the mix, shaking the box with his movements. Something cracked, and after a little more beating, Cid managed to shove the lid off.

He scampered out of the coffin, visibly shaken, face pale as ash. "Fuck on a fuck tart!" Cid shouted, hands on his knees. For a moment he focused on breathing in, breathing out. Then he looked around.

The Captain was in a small, dimly lit room filled with rows of coffins. There were at least six or seven tossed haphazardly around the room, nailed shut. He'd been lying in one just like them.

What had happened? He'd been in the reaper's arms, about to be as dead as oil fuel when MAKO was discovered. Then... then what? There had been... there was... Frowning, Cid tried to remember how he'd survived the encounter with the hellish creature.

"Fucking hell..." Frustrated, Cid vented his rage on the coffin that had housed him, kicking it over. The coffin rolled and hit another larger coffin in the center of the room.

For the first time Cid noticed this coffin. It was much larger than the others, as if it had been built for a man of six or seven feet. It was black, unlike the ordinary brown wooden ones around it. Slightly nervous, Cid moved towards it.

He knelt by the thing, examining it, when he noticed words on the front. Cid read half of them before declaring, "Fucking mumbo jumbo" and standing back up.

When he did, the box moved. The mechanic cursed loudly and jumped back, hands curling into fists. What would it be this time, a zombie? A demon? Shera's family ready to make him pay? Cid wasn't sure which sounded most unappealing.

The cover slowly slid back, slowly and silently. Cid stayed still, forcing himself not to move, only watching as something rose out of the darkness. To his surprise, it was none of what he'd thought it would be. It was a man.

He was about the height of the coffin, a long thin form shrouded in a torn red cloak. From behind messy jet black hair, crimson eyes blazed, framed by a feminine face.

Cid watched in fear, still nervous from before, half of his body saying run, the other saying fight. The stranger stood only a foot from him, stoic and silent, as Cid waited, unsure of what to do.

Just as the man opened his mouth and spoke, Cid decided. "What are -"

The mechanic punched him.

-=-=-=-

The trip across the sea took much too long. Tifa was about to jump over the side and swim to the Western continent, and she might've if Shalua hadn't held her back. As it was the woman was pacing the deck even as the ship docked. She was ready to leave, and leave now.

"You know Nibelheim's another two hours away." Shalua told her, trying to calm her down.

"Weren't you the one saying we had to get to Cloud before he went into the town?" Tifa spat. "What if we're too late? What if he's there already?"

The woman frowned at the hidden desperation in Tifa's voice, having felt it many times herself. "Then... we will have to brave the town."

The younger woman blinked. As Shalua turned away, sighing heavily, Tifa took in the many wounds on the elder's body, which she'd only hardly noticed before.

"You've tried getting into that town a lot... haven't you?" The brunette murmured.

A few crewmen approached the women, one announcing that their car had been unloaded from the cargo hold. Neither woman heard him. Shalua haltingly lifted her eyes, and Tifa noticed how one seemed to be faded, almost injured.

There was fear in those eyes. Soul numbing, mind altering fear. The kind of absolute terror one finds in death, in the unknown, in damnation. Tifa felt her own resolve crumble, her anger fade to puzzlement as she wondered what could create such horror and revulsion.

"I can't give up." Shalua whispered. "If Cloud's in there, I'll follow him."

Tifa heard the strong voice, and the slight tremble underneath it. Then, surprised at her own strength in the face of fear, she nodded.

"I'll follow him too." She murmured. "I... I'm all he's got left."

What she left unsaid was what was left for her.

-=-=-=-

Shalua managed to make the two hour trip to Nibelheim in a record one hour fifteen minutes. She would've made it sooner if the blue lights hadn't flashed and the siren blared, signaling them to pull over.

"Wonderful..." Shalua groaned. She punched the wheel, while Tifa merely rolled her eyes.

"It's not like you were going ninety miles." The woman muttered. Shalua pointedly ignored her as the officer walked to the window.

Window rolled down, Shalua leaned over towards the tall, dark skinned man. "What can I do you for?" The brunette next to her almost gagged.

_How obvious can you be?_ She rolled her eyes again. Then, Tifa did a double take, glancing wide eyed at the window. The cop had the same surprised face.

"Tifa!?" The deep voiced man spat. It was all she could do not to groan. _Of all the cops to get us..._

"Hi... Barret." She mumbled, trying desperately to sink into the leather seat. The giant of a man glowered at her, gripping the roof of the car.

"What the hell are you doing speeding around in the middle of nowhere!?" Barret roared, right in Shalua's face though the woman hardly winced.

"What are you doing patrolling around nowhere?" Tifa countered, confused as to why her friend was so far away from Corel.

The anger in his mood didn't fade, but he let out a grunt. "There's not a road here that don't have a cop on it for miles. Search and rescue mission." He explained, standing up straight and pointing to the woods behind him. "An airship from Midgar went missing around here somewhere."

"Went missing?" Shalua muttered, a frown set into her face.

The cop cursed. "Just fucking disappeared off radar. No crash sight, nothin'. We ain't found shit either."

As Barret spoke, facing the foggy woods, he didn't notice the two women behind him, wide eyed, turning to look at one another.

Tifa seemed most confused, but Shalua's eyes soon narrowed, as she bit her lip and gripped the steering wheel tight.

"But that's not what matters right now." Barret muttered, turning back to them. "What the hell were you two doing going ninety down the fucking road!?" The man crossed his arms, glaring intimidatingly.

"Looking for someone." Shalua explained. "It's important. And I'm afraid we're in a hurry."

"Where to?" The cop glowered, and Shalua glared back just as hard.

"Town called Nibelheim. Ever heard of it?"

Barret's angry facade melted into shock. He turned towards Tifa. "What do you want with that hellhole?"

"Cloud's gone there." Tifa told him, voice trembling slightly on the word "Cloud". "I"m going after him."

Sneering, the man turned his eyes on Shalua. "And you?"

"I'm just along for the ride." She smirked at his disapproving gaze.

"Well... I'm afraid you two will have to come with me." The man ordered. "I can't take you to the precinct, but I'll take you to the search sight for now. Then maybe you," He pointed at Tifa, "Can explain why the hell I'm picking Denzel up from the airport tomorrow morning while you're here joyriding!"

The mother felt her heart clench. "This is serious. I didn't just give Denzel to you to go waste time."

"Right." The cop shook his head and stormed back towards his cruiser. "Just follow me."

As he stalked off, Tifa collapsed against the chair and groaned. The other woman rolled up the window and started the car back up.

"Don't worry." Shalua said, still smirking. The tired woman turned to glare at her.

"And why the hell not?" She asked.

Shalua turned and smiled. "I have a hunch he's taking us in the right direction."

-=-=-=-

Halfway down the infernal, rickety staircase, which twisted and curved away into the darkness, Cloud realized he might've made a mistake. The stairwell lacked a railing protecting him from falling; pitch black, thick musty air was choking him, and sight was nigh on impossible. The blond was ready to curse his lack of foresight when the worst happened.

Cloud took a step and felt his foot fly out from under him, body crashing down onto the faulty steps. The entire staircase shook frighteningly, dust flying into the air, as Cloud's head throbbed. Wincing, the man's heart skipped a beat as he extended his hand and realized how close he'd been to careening off the stairs.

_Click, click._ The man blinked. _Click._ Sitting up, he tried looking for whatever it was, but had to resort to feeling for it. eventually, his sore palms found something round and smooth nudged between two floorboards. It felt slightly warm, and somewhat familiar. A smile came to his face, and after a bit of concentration, gentle effervescence lit up the steps. Cloud actually laughed when he saw the Red materia in his hand.

Red Materia was usually used to cast fire, but SOLDIERs were taught to control their magic and the flow of it. A good SOLDIER could make a red materia glow like a lamp for hours at a time.

"Thank Shiva for small mercies." He muttered, standing up slowly with a hand on the wall. The rest of the journey passed by uneventfully.

When his feet hit dirt, Cloud heaved a shaky sigh of relief, and turned to look around. Despite the materia's shimmering light, Cloud couldn't see much. Looking up, though, and seeing how many stairs there were, almost made him sick. The snaking monster disappeared into shadow ten flights up. Frowning, Cloud tried to pierce the dark in front of him with his eyes; he could see a tall, long hallway, but the length and dim light kept him from seeing what was beyond. Nerves choked him.

"No going back," He strode, albeit stiffly and slowly towards the passageway.

The first door he came to opened, revealing a messy office inside. It must've, at one time, been shared by many. Four cubicles split the room, each with a bloodsoaked desk. Cloud moved the light over each, avoiding looking at family photos and personal belongings. He examined documents. Most he saw were unimportant; though he did see a newspaper spread out on the desk, destroyed by time and soaked in... something. One of the articles was circled.

_Nibelheim Doctor Found Dead: Investigation Underway_

With a frown, Cloud moved away, to the next desk. He left the room soon after. Through the dank hall, he kept exploring, searching room after room that he could. He found no other clues or useful items, and eventually found himself at a dead end.

An angry growl echoed round. "Damn it!" The blond kicked the dirt. The door in front of him required a key, a key that was likely the one that had fallen out of the blond's pocket earlier. Fuming, Cloud turned to go and almost didn't notice the last door in the hall.

Something about it was... foreboding. Cloud brushed his hands over the dying wood, glanced at the door knob. The door was chained shut, a heavy padlock on the chains. he'd have to have a key for this door, too. A wrinkle formed on his brow as he thought back, trying to come up with something. How to move forward? There had to be a way...

"This door can't be locked up so tight for no reason." Cloud murmured, stepping back. "Must be something inside..." Resolved to open it, Cloud turned and left the hall, prepared to make the long trek back up the stairs. Maybe he'd missed something.

Just as his foot set down upon the bottom stair, something in the air changed. Something flipped; like a coin spinning midair, and finally hitting the ground, new side up. The small light in Cloud's hand allowed him to see very little, and then it went out. Cloud flinched.

"What-?" He fell silent at the noise, the distant rumble, the sullen creeping, like old wallpaper being gently torn down. The cold, dank air became hot, burning hot, like the Devil's breath, and the rooms around him suddenly seemed alive.

Cloud sped up the stairs, despite his lack of sight, careening blindly towards the distant upper floors. He had to get out - _he had to get out!_

-=-=-=-

After a short twenty minute drive through the woods, Barret led the two women to a large parking lot, where at least twenty police cars were parked. Police dogs on leashes barked wildly, while lights flashed in the twilight. It was slightly surreal, watching from behind the dingy window as blue and white flared and all around shouting echoed. It was even beginning to drizzle a little over the frantic search teams.

"Hey." Tifa snapped out of her thoughts. Shalua had a hand on her shoulder. When the brunette turned to her, the younger nodded towards the far corner. Tifa turned to see a long, sloping hill, leading up.

"That's Mt. Nibel." Tifa murmured, heart fluttering in her chest. "Nibelheim's on the other side."

"I know." The driver murmured. "If this cop hadn't found us, we'd be there by now." She sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "Still, this airship business sounds suspicious. Perhaps we should check it out."

Tifa wasn't really paying attention, to busy thinking and staring at the magnificent white peak miles ahead of them. _Are you already there, Cloud? _Breath fogging the window, she placed a hand there, and leaned her forehead against it. _What are you thinking? What in the world are you looking for?_

Eventually Barret parked in one space, and Shalua parked next to him. Tifa slowly got out of the car, legs numb from the long drive, hands tingling from anticipation of... something. Her mind was far away as she followed Shalua and Barret around the "command center" of the search.

As they approached a large make shift tent, another cop hurried over to them, one that Tifa recognized. "Heeey!" The short Asian chirped, black hair cut into a bob. The woman was bouncy, excitedly hugging Barret as he approached. The tall, gruff man threw her off with blush on his face.

"Not on the job, Yuffie!" The man spat, indignant. The girl simply grinned, hands behind her back as she backed away. Then she produced his wallet. The man's eyes went wide.

"Wha -! Hey! Stop messing around!" He tried to snatch it back but she jumped away, moving beside Tifa. Her grinning eyes caught sight of her.

"Tifa!" The girl raced over and hugged the older woman. "What are you doing here?" She leaned back and smiled wide. "I heard we were babysitting Denzel this weekend, but I didn't know you where coming!"

The woman gave a half smile. "I didn't know either. I ... bumped into Barret on the road." Sheepish, Tifa ignored Barret's grumbling and hugged Yuffie back. "It's good to see you." It really was; Yuffie's bright smile lifted her spirits.

"It's too bad you showed up right now. Everybody's deployed to the search. There's supposed to be about three hundred people missing around here, but we haven't found a thing." The woman pouted childishly. "So everybody's kinda standing around waiting for orders. But there's nothing to do. Not a hint in sight."

During her short speech, Barret tried sneaking up on Yuffie. At first it seemed he might succeed. Then, just at the moment he went to snatch back his wallet, the hyper woman leapt away. She laughed as Barret shouted and cursed loudly, jumping away and sitting on the back of his cruiser.

"Get back here brat!"

Instead of obeying, Yuffie merely smirked and opened his wallet, counting the bills. "Hmm... not too much in here..." She removed a quarter from it, spinning it in the air and catching it in her hand repeatedly.

Barret stomped his heavy boot on the ground, approaching her. "Dammit kid!"

Chuckling, Shalua leaned towards her partner. "Quite the duo. They always this loud?" She asked. Tifa didn't reply. Confused, Shalua leaned forward a little to get a look at her face. "You all right? You look pale."

Tifa's eyes were clouded over, her body frozen. "I... I don't know..."

Yuffie kept giggling at Barret's anger, not taking him seriously, still flipping the coin. "Come on, you big lug! Not my fault you're so slow!"

Finally the older man lunged for her, picking her up by the shoulders, as she struggled and fought, and snatched the wallet from her hand. "Hey! Lemme go!"

"Tifa?" Shalua shook the woman's shoulder. "What's wrong?"

The brunette heard nothing of it. Sweat poured down her brow, her fists clenching and unclenching, as her eyes remained trained on the coin. It had been forgotten, flipped one last time by Yuffie before she was snatched, and was now falling as if in slow motion. Tifa watched it turn and spin, light reflecting bright off one side, a dark tinge on the other. It continued to fall... and fall...

Until it hit the ground, bouncing lightly off the dusty pavement, dirt flying, as the metal landed dark side up.

Tifa's eyes widened further, mouth falling open, as her heart knew, just knew, that something was horribly and irrevocably wrong.

"Tifa!" Shalua shouted. The young woman wrenched herself from the other's grasped, spinning on her heel and breaking into a sprint towards Mt. Nibel.

"Cloud!" She shouted, shoving through the police officers, racing around cars. She hardly heard the shouts of her friends behind her. "Cloud!" Everything became a blur, and she could only see the imposing mountain ahead, the blockade that kept her from her friend, that kept Cloud hostage. "Cloud!!!"

Hands grabbed her shoulders, and she screamed, tears pouring down her face. She kicked, she writhed, she struggled as if her life depended on it. A life did depend on it; not hers, but his.

"Tifa!" Shalua screamed, catching up to Barret as he held her down. "Tifa, calm down! What's happening? What do you see?"

"CLOUD!"

But the brunette only screamed and thrashed, gnashing her teeth. Her friends watched in horror as she became a mindless panic; the coin on the ground, dark side up, totally forgotten. Yet it still laid there, by the car, a slightly haunting feel to it, a sort of morbid warning.

And Tifa continued to scream.

"_CLOOOOUD!_"


	5. we all fall down

"_At first I thought I was losing my mind. _

_But now I know I'm not. It's not me. This whole town. _

_It's being invaded by the other world. A world of someone's nightmarish delusions come to life. Little by little the invasion is spreading. _

_Trying to swallow up everything in darkness."_

_..._

_F i n a l H e l l_

chapter five

w e

a l l

f a l l

d o w n

It seemed as if years had passed before Cloud finally saw the exit at the top of the stairs. Like a madman, he barreled through it, before collapsing against the bookshelves.

Eyes closed, chest heaving, one thousand thoughts racing through his mind. The predominant one was

"What the fuck's going on?"

Slowly, trembling, Cloud lifted his head, eyes open, and they widened at the sight around him.

Everything was different. The office could hardly be called so anymore. Each wall was painted in blood and grime, utterly sickening, and the floor had changed from carpet to grates, darkness surging below. There was no desk, no books; only darkness. It was a decor nightmare, and Cloud's personal hell.

Struggling to stand, the man looked around for the door. It had moved; in front of him was a long hallway, lined by tall grates, leading away into total shadow. Cloud grimaced, before nervously following the path. He hefted the red materia back up, and managed to make it light.

His feet made the floor creak and groan with each step, and somewhere, distant moaning and groaning echoed. Cloud felt sweat pooling at the base of his neck as blistering heat rose up. He kept walking, eyes moving down, until he stopped moving in shock.

Below him, through the grates, Cloud could see another floor, more grated paths crisscrossing round, and in one area, a tall, round structure that glowed a dull, rusted brown, like an ancient lamp.

"It's just like a MAKO reactor." He muttered dumbly, hardly able to believe it. "How can this happen?" the man moved mindlessly, unable to make sense of it.

Soon, Cloud found himself in what had been another office; now it was nightmarish. Instead of desks, there were blood soaked gurneys, deathbeds, taking the forms of the limp bodies underneath. An arm too gray to be human, with some kind of ... sore... on it, hung over the side of one bed. Cloud glanced away quickly to look up at the strange things hanging from the ceiling. Upon closer inspection, Cloud found they were a group of mobiles of sorts.

"Knives?" Sure enough, each rope of the mobile was tied to a bunch of the sharp objects, rusted and decayed. Cloud gently prodded the edge of one, staring in utter disgust at the human flesh melded to the metal. "What the hell!?"

As the deranged mobiles turned, Cloud saw something in the reflection. He spun around to see blood, gallons of it, painted upon the far wall. It formed three words: _thirty six_ _ten_. The man had to cover his mouth to keep from gagging. The smell was putrid, the sight abominable. He moved quickly to the door and got out.

A blighted hall greeted him, stained and decayed, echoing with chittering and vagrant sounds. With his concentration faltering, the materia's light flickered, showing second long shots of the rotting floor, cockroaches with teeth slinking about. Bile rose in his throat and he ran, ran across the creaking boards, turning mindlessly through the halls. Muscles burning, chest heaving, horrific sights and sounds all around, Cloud tried ignoring it all, it was only a dream.

"What... the fuck..." He whispered. Finally he slid to a halt, breathing heavily. Cloud pulled himself together, brushing a hand through his hair. "What... what is this?"

Pinpricks stabbed his knees, as he moved slowly to the dingy wall and slumped against it. Where was he? What had happened to the mansion? "This... has got to be a nightmare. I hit my head and I'm dreaming. Or I'm..." Exhaling, the man closed his eyes. "Or I'm in hell."

When he opened his eyes again, the man looked desperate. "I can't be... not yet..."

-=-=-=-

Cid's fist hurt from where it had collided with the other man's face. For a brief moment he wondered if he had made a mistake, but it was only a moment. Cid Highwind rarely second guessed himself.

Though he was a little nervous when the red cloaked man he'd punched leapt up suddenly, faster than was humanely possible, and grabbed Cid around the waist.

"The fuck, man!? Put me down!" He was ignored as the taller man raced like a bullet across the room, rushing out of the door, and towards the right. There was a tall locked door there, which Vincent quickly unlocked with his key, Cid complaining all the while.

"WHAT THE HELL BASTARD! I CAN FUCKING WALK YOU -"

The stranger threw the door open, tossed Cid to the ground in a heap, then spun dramatically around to shut the door behind them. He locked it from within, then backed away, hand moving to the gun beneath his cloak.

Meanwhile Cid leapt to his feet. "Don't you fucking ignore me you damned vampiric goth brat!" He said no more; at that moment, something in the room changed. A chill entered the air, colder than any frigid night wind.

"Do not fear." The other man spoke, his voice deep and commanding. "Nothing can reach us here."

Cid blinked. He did feel fear, for some reason he could not explain, but he would never admit to it. And where exactly was here? The man turned to examine the room he'd been tossed into.

It was a library, with a desk in the center, and some scientific equipment thrown about, shards of glass on the floor. It looked like it hadn't been touched in years. How had he gone from being in an underground warehouse from hell, to some fucker's office? Sneering, the man spun around to find out what had happened, when his mouth dropped open.

The room was melting. That was what it looked like; the paint was peeling off, the metal turning a sickening rust color. What had been creepy and disconcerting became nightmarish and horrifying. The floor became grated, nasty and grime covered.

Relatively the room stayed with the same layout, though all the books and things disappeared. The desk remained, changing into a... Cid wasn't sure. He stared wide eyed at it for a few moments. When he finally realized it had become a blood soaked altar, he cursed, grimacing from the smell. It was coppery from rust and blood.

"What the hell is this shit!?" The mechanic shouted, clenching his fists.

"It is the darkness, agony incarnated into punishment." Cid spun around, remembering his companion. The man hadn't turned from the door, though he wasn't crouching in an attack position like before.

"Punishment...? Stop being poetic and just tell me what it is." Cid demanded, motioning to the spread of shadow, which had finally stopped. "And while you're at it, who the hell are you and how the fuck'd I get here?"

The stranger did not answer immediately. Once the room was completely settled, he turned to Cid.

This man was almost entirely covered by his red cloak, face and all, giving him a distant and haunting feel. His hair was wild and dark, seeming as if a comb hadn't ever touched it, and his eyes burned. With what, Cid wasn't sure. Pain? Anger? Perhaps. Cid could understand anger.

"I am Vincent Valentine." The man offered, and Cid snorted.

"A name to match the outfit. In that case, call me Van Hellsing and we'll all fit in ,with the fucked up Monster Laboratory here." Cid gestured violently to the sickening walls. Vincent paid him little mind.

"Your name is Cid Highwind." The blond's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"How the hell -!?" The man's hand left his cape, and Cid saw his wallet being tossed through the air. He caught it.

"I suggest you wait here until the shadow passes, and then you should leave. Immediately." Vincent muttered, before turning away.

"Leave?" Cid sputtered. "I can't fucking leave. And I asked you what the hell's going on here!" The man's face was turning slightly red.

"The less you know, the better off you will be, I assure you." The silk tone promised. "You won't survive long here if you don't get out soon."

"I'm not leaving, and neither are you until you tell me what I need to know." To back it up, Cid crossed the room in quick strides and grabbed the other man by the cowl. "Tell me what the fucking hell this sick place is!"

Usually it didn't take much for Cid to intimidate anyone. He was a rather large guy with a gruff voice and the build to match. But this Vincent Valentine fellow was not so easily pushed around.

"Why do you insist on knowing?" He began. "What drives you to stay?"

An image appeared in Cid's mind; he could hear a far off voice, someone saying, _"Captain..."_

"I..." Cid muttered. In a moment, his eyes narrowed again, and the brief emotional weakness he'd shown disappeared. "Doesn't matter. Just tell me what I need to know."

"Tell me why." Vincent drove a stiff bargain. Cid tried staring him down, eyes flaring, but Vincent held his gaze.

Finally Cid sighed. "Look... I can't leave until I find Shera. I won't leave till I find her. She'd never survive... this. Not on her own." He had to save her. He had to.

"Shera?" Cid turned to see a quizzical look in the man's eyes. They were the only features on his face that betrayed emotion.

"A... friend." The mechanic grew slightly flustered, and when he became flustered, he grew irritated. "All right, I fucking told you, now what's the deal with this shit?"

Vincent's eyes grew darker then. He turned away, hair hiding his angular face. "I..." Cid watched him clench his fists; one of them was covered by a golden claw.

Finally, Vincent looked back up to Cid. "In simple terms, it is my mistake. My punishment for failing. This darkness seeps from the pain and hate of the one I could not save. It engulfs all, tormenting those who wander within, inflicting on others the same pain that he once felt. It is my sin... my guilt... my punishment."

That was... morbid. Cid frowned a little, unsure of what to say. It hadn't really been an explanation at all, but after that brief monologue, Cid was nervous about asking anything else. The look on Vincent's face was as if he was in physical pain. Cid... kinda felt sorry for him.

"Oh. Well..." He scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what to say. Finally, he sighed and dropped his arm. "Thanks for saving me from that beast back there, and fixin' me up." His wounds were indeed bandaged, he had recently noticed. "Wish you luck with the, uh... sin thing."

Cid approached the door, and Vincent's head shot back up. "Where are you going?"

The blond nodded towards the hall. "I'm going out there. I can't wait; Shera could be out there now." He turned to go, only stopping again when Vincent asked a question.

"This Shera..." His eyes were soft, voice low. "Who was she... to you?"

"To me?" Cid asked. In fact, he sometimes wondered that himself. What was Shera to him? His face turned pink and he shrugged nervously. "I... care about her."

Vincent met his eyes then, seeming to search them for something. Cid squirmed under his gaze. Finally, Vincent nodded and approached.

"You'll never survive out there on your own." He said, unlocking the door. "You'll need me. I'm as dangerous a monster as any that wander these halls." That sounded ominous, but at this point, Cid thought it would be nice to have somebody, monster or no, on his side. "I will help you find your Shera." Vincent turned, his fiery gaze locking on him. "Then, you must leave."

"No problem there." Cid assured him, arms up in defeat. The two turned towards the dark hall, as the door opened. It was long, shadow filled, and echoing with distant crying and rumbling. Cid felt sweat bead on his forehead, but he clutched his fists.

"Ready Vince?" The mechanic asked, taking the first step forward.

The man beside him seemed surprised, following after. "My name is Vincent."

As he walked on, Cid didn't really care what his name was, as long as he wasn't fighting this madness alone.

-=-=-=-=-

It was as if the whole layout of the mansion had changed. Some paths he'd used earlier were now blocked off by sheets of rusted metal; other areas were impassible due to the floor collapsing, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

Cloud kept a wary eye about, wandering the halls carefully, avoiding the ones made up of eerie noises, or a much too quiet silence. His sojourn eventually led him back to a place he'd been before; the Surgery room.

In a place full of horrors, entering a room that had seen such blood and death did not seem like a good idea. But Cloud knew he could leave no room unchecked, and though he'd seen it once, now that the mansion had changed, he had to see it again.

The door moaned as he gently pushed it open, the light of the materia floating through. Water was trickling in the room; though, when Cloud got a better look, he saw it was truly blood, and lots of it. The same blood he'd tripped in earlier... it now coated the whole floor, cascading over through the grated walls.

Feet splashing on the floor, Cloud lifted the light. It danced across the surgery table, which had become a monstrosity. At the sight of it, Cloud stepped back, arm over his mouth to keep from losing his stomach. Coughing, he forced himself to look back.

The table was covered in steel cord, which strapped a body down to the table, a body so deformed and destroyed it was impossible to tell its age, race, or gender. Needles were jabbed into its skin in dozens of places, and blood oozed from gaping wounds. Inch long nails were jabbed into its stomach, keeping the skin their folded back as if a grotesque surgery was about to begin. Blood soaked bandages covered its face, bound its eyes, and kept its mouth shut tight.

Behind, on the far wall, a message was written in grime and congealed blood.

IF YOU CAN'T HEAR HIM SCREAM, HOW CAN YOU SAVE HIM? ----

A shudder shook his spine, an occurrence that was becoming very frequent. Cloud followed the arrow to the bound mouth of the body. Sweat coated fingers moved towards it. THen, the thing shuddered, and moaned. Cloud froze. Heart hardening, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the scalpel he'd found earlier.

The rusted blade glimmered a sickly brown beneath the light. Cloud steadied his hand, and placed the blade on the bandages. The being began crying out, sobbing even. But he didn't hesitate; with a shift thrust, he pushed the blade down, the creature gurgling, and struggling in its confinement, and Cloud pulled the scalpel towards him, ripping the tape. When he lifted the blade, the thing screeched.

Stunned, Cloud dropped the scalpel, which was swept by the torrent of blood down the drain to join the lost key. Preoccupied by the creature, Cloud didn't notice, too busy staring at the digits carved into the thrashing tongue: 5997.

He left, shutting the screaming out by closing the door. More numbers... along with the ones he'd seen painted on the wall. "36105997." Cloud muttered. An eight digit code? What was it for?

Then it hit him. "The safe." Cloud whispered, realization dawning in his eyes. An image of the black box in the attic came to him. He had to get back to it. Yet the floor plan was no longer the same... how to get there?

All around came guttural groans and the kinds of noises from things that go bump in the night, out in the tepid darkness that robbed one of their senses, their sight. Cloud kept his cool; he was a SOLDIER. Whatever this was, he could defeat it. He would complete his mission; he would find Aerith and Zack, and go home.

Or die trying.

-=-=-=-

As he searched desperately for a way to the attic, Cloud came across more mutations, each more blood curdling than the last. Things that dragged their prone bodies across the floor, malformed and crying out in agony. Stumbling behemoths with deranged faces that lacked eyes and swung their monstrous limbs out, smashing at random.

Cloud turned a corner, materia still in hand, pressed tight against the wall. His chest heaved, as he timidly glanced around to the other hall. There, he saw another creature, a twisted, armless thing, and he grimaced. It was one of the acid spitting ones, which he had to avoid or get painfully scarred. Another hall it was.

He turned away and quiet stalked into the darkness, feet echoing on the grated, tarnished floor. Hands rubbed raw from hitting the monstrous skin of beasts, Cloud winced as he set his palm on a black doorknob. It opened when turned.

The room within had once been a bedroom, though now it was tainted by madness, the TV giving off a continuous snow scene. The sound bothered Cloud, but try as he might it wouldn't stop. Groaning, the man leaned forward and pulled out the plug.

_Fsssssssh_

The blonde felt his heart race a bit when the sound kept going. Still, it didn't really surprise him. "Place is full of creepy shit." Muttering, Cloud stood. Then his frustration burned him and he kicked the machine. It skipped for a moment. An odd thing happened next: something appeared in the snow, blurry shapes, and distant sounds in the constant grind. Cloud leaned closer. Was that a voice? He thought he could see people standing together... it hurt his head, looking at it, burned like fire. Voices...

"_Please... I'll keep it... don't want..."_

Sure enough, there was a thin shape in the snow. Cloud leaned ever further, eyes narrowed, just barely able to make out the form of someone leaning forward, head in their hands.

"_How can it... first degree... lacerations..."_

As soon as it came, the vague image and sound was gone, leaving Cloud with a massive migraine. The man grumbled darkly, exploring the room a bit more, before moving to the open window. He couldn't past the fog, it was too thick to look into the distance. When he glanced up, he saw another open window, two floors above.

"This is the window I saw earlier." The man muttered, watching the light stream from above. "Wait... light?"

Suddenly a shadow appeared in the light. With a gasp, Cloud watched a young girl stick her head out the window. "Aerith!" He shouted. The head turned. "Aerith!" But a moment later, the form disappeared, and the light with it. "Wait, Aerith! Wait!"

Fists slammed against the window sill. "Damn it!" Cloud grimaced. Spinning from the window angrily, he stormed towards the door. _Thunk._

By instinct, he jumped into a battle stance. All it was though, was a rope hitting the window, falling from the floor above. Cloud's eyes widened.

Returning to the window, he glanced up. "No one there..." He tugged on the rope; it held firm. "Well, not as if it's safer down here..." The man climbed onto the sill, and carefully turned, rappelling up the grungy wall.

The stairwell he expected to see was no longer there when he climbed up. Instead, Cloud found himself in a long hall, walls altered from their usual wood to metallic fences, stained and blood crusted. The floor was grated again, and Cloud could see only darkness in every direction. he could not turn, only walk forward to the one door on the hall. the atrociously destroyed and half rotten attic door, still at the top of a short set of metal stairs. The bridge creaked and moaned as Cloud crossed.

Moving as if his joints refused to bend, Cloud stiffly approached the door. His heightened senses were on overdrive. Was that something in the corner of his eyes, something red moving below? Did he hear distant crying, echoing sadness? His mouth tasted of copper.

He was eager to leave the twisted hall. Cloud thrust the attic door open and rushed in, slamming it behind him.

Somehow, the room looked somewhat the same. Unlike everywhere else, little had changed. There was less light - the darkness seemed thicker, congealed. Nerves tickled his spine, and Cloud kept his guard up.

Each step he took seemed like a move against fate. His eyes constantly scanned the darkness, but it seemed like nothing was there. He hurried to the safe.

Kneeling, he entered the code as quick as he could, ready to be free of the place. The first time, his shivering fingers moved too fast, and with a curse he started again. Sweat was pouring down his skin.

The second time, he succeeded, heart leaping in his chest. _Yes! _Cloud wrenched the door open with a creak, leaning down to look inside.

Within resembled a cage, rotten and turned brown, and every cell in Cloud's body told him not to reach in there. Still, he had to; there was a large white envelope, safe from the destruction surrounding it, and whatever it was, he needed it. In he reached and grabbed it swiftly. His hand came out safe and sound, envelope in his grasp.

Trembling fingers tore the top of. Cloud was frightened, yes, but now he was curious, and desperate to know if something inside the package would save him. Would it show him the way out? Lead him to Zack and Aerith? He turned the envelope over and dumped it.

First, something heavy and clunky hit the floor with a thunk. A few more shakes, and a couple of documents fell out. Cloud took hold of the documents.

They were health reports of some kind, written in technical jargon Cloud hardly understood. Three of them, stapled together, all about one person. The weird thing was how they were covered by some liquid... not blood, or sweat, but a kind of thick liquid, tinged green...

"The same stuff in that vial with Zack's letter..." Cloud realized with a gasp. He reached into his pocket; with a frown, he realized he probably lost both the letter and the vial during the plane crash. Determined, Cloud examined the documents a little more. The name of the patient at the top was crossed out violently in black ink. But beneath it, someone had written just as violently: NOT MY NAME GIVE IT BACK

Frowning, Cloud folding up the slightly wet papers and tucked them back in the envelope. He turned his attention to the bulky thing that had fallen out.

It was another materia, like the fire one currently in Cloud's free hand. But this materia was different, odd even, unlike any Cloud had ever seen. It was... dark? Black? In this light, Cloud couldn't tell but there was something off about it...

Just as Cloud went to touch it, there was a growl.

The man leapt to his feet, swinging his head around. Another growl raced through the attic, as Cloud hoisted his fire materia and poured magic into it. The light grew and grew, fighting back the darkness. Dread poured through the blond's mind; he almost wanted the darkness to stay, to keep him from seeing whatever atrocious monstrosity was after him.

It was two headed, purple and red, covered in fur which was soaked in blood and grime. With teeth barred, the thing moved its heavy legs towards him, footsteps thundering, as Cloud attempted to back up.

Heart hammering, eyes glancing all around, he tried to find an answer, a way out, and saw none. Had death found him? Fists tightening, Cloud shook his head violently. It couldn't end here!

Slobber fell from the beast's two mouths, acting as acid as it hit the floor. Cloud's back hit the wall, breath coming in sharp choking gasps. There was nothing else to do. With no way out, Cloud lifted his hand that held the materia.

Wait... the fire materia had been replaced. Somehow the unusual, Black materia had reappeared in his hand. Cloud lifted it and screamed, pouring his magic into it in the desperate hope that something would happen, anything to keep him alive. It couldn't end here... not here...

_Can't... can't end here..._

"_No! You can't! You can't die!" Sobbing, the teen clutched his mother tightly as fire licked them from all sides. "No! NO!"_

_The tears dried up almost as quick as they came, as they were surrounded by flame. This was it... this was the end... _

_Lifting his red eyes, Cloud let out a wrenching, shrill scream. _

"NO!!!"

Something poured out of the Black Materia like light would, blinding all. But this was not light; it had no brightness to it. It was pitch, empty, deathly dark. Whatever it was, it flew from the materia in his hand, and engulfed the mighty creature coming after him.

The two headed beast gave out twin cries of agony, as Cloud squeezed his eyes shut and slid to the floor. He stayed still as he heard the body hit the ground, letting out its finally gurgling screams. Then it was gone.

"Huhh... huhh..." Cloud wheezed, legs going limp. "Huhh..." His hand fell, fingers loosening, and the materia fell out of his grasp. The man collapsed against the base of the wall, head falling back. Like a doll, his limbs became soft and he stopped moving, but for the heavy rise and fall of his chest. Exhausted. Cloud was beyond exhausted. He closed his eyes and stopped worrying about the surrounding world.

It was perhaps not the smartest thing to do but the man began to slumber. Half asleep, he drifted between dreams and reality, both of which were dismal and haunting. In his dreams he was a boy, innocent to a degree, with eyes clouded by pain. In reality, he was about the same, save for innocence.

"_What are you gonna do when we get to Midgar?" A distant voice whispered. Somewhere in the far reaches of his mind, a young man was smiling, but Cloud could hardly see his face. His laugh was infectious, his happiness overwhelming._

Pit pat, pit pat. Footsteps broke the silence. Part of his mind awakened, recognizing, Wake up! Wake up! Danger! But his sleep was too heavy. A moment later and he could see feet, as someone stood in front of him. The edges of... a pink dress... came into his sight. At least, in his sleep, he thought it was pink. He thought he heard... a familiar airy tone...

"_We're friends, right Cloud?" The man ruffled his hair. Always he did that; the age difference wasn't that much._

"What are you doing here?" Aerith (?) asked softly, a slight laugh in her tone. "This is hardly a safe environment for you. In the midst of rest you may find yourself whisked away, never to awaken."

"_Strife." This was a different man, with a stronger and deeper tone, slightly sultry. It commanded respect, and respect it he did. The tall man, with an angular face and confident smirk, turned to face him. "You remember what I told you?" Did he remember? What... what should he remember?_

"You aren't even halfway yet you struggle." This didn't sound like the way Aerith talked. The voice... "Must I hand you everything?" No, this wasn't her angelic, motherly voice at all. Who was this? The blurry, distant image of a girl in a pink dress fluttered, but Cloud couldn't see who was really there...

"_Cloud..." The tall man turned fully towards him, imposing figure towering above him. The smirk had become a smile. The image blurred, the voice became harder to hear._

"_You're... my..."_

More footsteps; the stranger approached, and whispered in his ear. "Go home, Cloud Strife. Go home."

-=-=-=-

Cloud awoke to a safer world.

Not safe entirely, no. He was still in the hell of his hometown. But the dark place... that other world was gone. The Mansion was back to normal again.

Groaning, Cloud tried to remember what had happened after the monster had attacked, yet he could no remember at all. His fire materia was gone, and so were the health documents. What had happened?

The man glanced around. It was just a creepy, dusty attic now. It was gone.

His eyes caught sight of something that shone off the floor. Crossing the room, Cloud knelt by it.

It was a picture... Cloud scrutinized it. Had it come out of the envelope too? Had someone put it there? He wasn't sure. It did not look important at all. It was simply a photograph of snow, a pure field of untouched snow. Why would someone take a picture of that?

As he looked, and stared, eyes narrowing, Cloud felt his head pound. He groaned in anguish, clutching his forehead, and a memory returned to him.

_Go home, Cloud Strife..._

Home? But he couldn't leave now. He had to find Zack and Aerith; he had to solve this odd mystery. His friends were here, somewhere, and he would find them and then they'd go home.

The blond kept brewing on the words, repeating them over and over. _ Go home, Cloud Strife... go _home_..._

The man leapt to his feet. Realization dawned, and he clutched the photo tightly, rushing out of the attic, down the hall, and away. He knew where to go, he knew exactly where.

The house on the left of the Square, 104 Nibel Road, with the yellow paint.

_Home._


	6. into the madness

**Final Hell **

_chapter six_

into the madness

It looked just the same as all those years ago.

Cloud stared up at his childhood home with a vague sense of disgust and awe. The yellow paint had cracked and peel, the window shutters fallen off and crooked. The door had some kind of blood splatter on it. Cloud approached warily, listening to the distant noises in the fog.

When he'd left the mansion, a thick fog had taken over the town. It was hard to see anything now, in any direction. What he would give to have his fire materia back...

The man stepped forward onto the porch, the wood groaning and creaking with each step. He could almost envision his mother sitting there, in the now empty rocking chair, reading her books... but he couldn't see her here in this darkness. A woman like her deserved to rest in a place full of light.

Cloud approached the door, pulling it open, and entering his old home. The porch door swung shut behind him with a violent snap.

His house was covered in a layer of dust and filth. A long dark hall, which smelled horrendously, led to both the kitchen and living room. The kitchen counter divided the two; it was covered in old bloody newspapers. The furniture looked mostly the same, if not moldy, old, and slightly decayed. His TV screen was smashed in, as if someone had taken a bat to it. Cloud stepped lightly, broken glass from... something cracking under his feet.

The back door was boarded up haphazardly, and water was pooling at the base. It stank to high heaven, and Cloud quickly turned away. He trailed his hand along the back of the sofa where he and his mother had sat and watched movies together. Shaking his head, Cloud lifted a hand to his forehead. He was sweating like an animal.

Nothing seemed truly out of the ordinary in his home, though it was hardly home anymore. Cloud tried opening the door to the play room, but it was firmly shut. So, he turned his attention to the stairwell across the way.

Dark and ominous as it was, Cloud felt his breath hitch as he approached the dark stairs. He walked slowly and carefully, trying to think of what was up there. His old room, his mother's room, and a bathroom. That was all. Nothing to fear.

He reached the top and stepped into a puddle of water. If he thought the first floor reeked, the second floor was a whole 'nother story. It was like something had died up there. Cloud squashed that thought quick, and kept moving. The door to his mother's room, first on the left, wouldn't open. So he moved on to his room.

The man's heart stopped beating at the sight of it. It was just the way he'd left it, down to the SOLDIER posters on the walls. Everything was old and frayed, as if he'd been away for decades, but it was still there. His stomach flew into his throat as Cloud was faced with his childhood.

His bed was torn up, blanket thrown about and pillows scattered to the floor. His mother would never have approved, Cloud thought with a chuckle. The book shelves were full, though some items had fallen to the ground. Cloud picked up one of his favorite comic books off the floor, felt how wet and nasty it was in his hands. He placed it back on the shelf.

What had happened to this place? Why was it all nasty, gritty, old, and wet... when he had watched it all burn all those years ago? Why did it still stand? Shaking his head, Cloud almost turned and left the room; but something on his old desk caught his eye.

There was a key, and ... an arrow. An arrow had been carved into the surface of his desk. Cloud grimaced at the sight of long jagged cuts, thin and soaked in blood. There were small pieces of white on his desk. Cloud looked at one.

"Fingernail...?" He pushed his disgust away, dropping the nail and picking up the keys. He looked up; the arrow was pointing towards his bed. He glanced back and forth, before walking over.

Cloud tore the rest of his bed spread from the bed, then the sheets. What he saw beneath made him jump away.

On his mattress was a great bloody red stain, tinge with black and blue and green and yellow and other nasty colors that shouldn't be seen in human blood. There were... chunks of nasty yellow-white flesh, little flecks as if they had been ripped from someone's skin. Whoever had been lying on his bed had been beaten badly, perhaps even beaten to death. He shivered at the thought that something like that... in his room? Someone...

The man shook his head, wanting nothing more than to leave... but he had to keep pressing on. So, he grabbed hold of the nasty mattress, soaked by death, and pulled. The bed frame rolled with it across the floor. Cloud stepped around it to see what lay beneath.

Beneath his bed was an door; a small square thing made of metal, rusted and old, with chains lying on it. The chains weren't holding it down anymore, having been broken by time. Cloud knelt by the entrance tracing it with his fingers. Why was this under his bed, and where did it lead?

"Only one way to know," He whispered. The man grabbed the chains and tossed them aside, wincing at the gritty feel of wet, rusted metal. He grabbed the handle and pulled up, revealing a tunnel underneath.

The man jumped down, falling five or six feet. The hole was dirt, despite the fact that he was on the second floor of his house and should have been jumping into his living room. There was a small tunnel ahead. A child might stood in it easily, but he was a bit too tall. Cloud approached and glanced within. It was too dark to see anything.

Dare he get on his knees and crawl through? He would be very vulnerable that way... but he had to keep moving. Resolute, Cloud knelt down and crawled into the tunnel, his heart hammering in the darkness.

\.\.\.\. truth ././././

_Vague visions in the fog... a sleeping town lost in mountains and snow... within lies darkness. In the shadows of haunted streets, poisoned by filth and decay, monstrous demons make their home. Many of them wandered the horrid halls of the long abandoned mansion, their wailing echoing pitifully all around._

_In the shroud of horrors, a young man was terribly lost, horrified and surrounded by danger as he barreled aimlessly down creaking halls. Without hope of escape, he ran, unable to see where he was going, or what was following behind. Blue eyes widened in terror, chest rising and falling at a rushed pace, the man raced off further into the darkness, with no where to go._

"CLOUD!"

Tifa Lockhart bolted upright in bed, sweat soaking her clothes. A dream; a dream that had been much too real. Clutching the sheets, the woman's mind raced, trying to remember every detail of her dark vision. She leapt to her feet.

"Sit down, Lockhart." She had been halfway to the door when Shalua's voice was heard.

"We have to go. We have to find him." The woman was constantly moving, dancing about restlessly. "We have to go!"

Shalua shook her head as she stood. "We will. But right now you and I need to talk."

Tifa paused in her pacing. "Talk?"

The other woman, arms crossed, moved slowly past the bed to the open window. It was snowing outside. The sky was clouded grey, and the snow falling to the ground was more like slush. It would be gone by morning. For now, it was mixing with rain and mud which turned the pure snow to a nasty black.

"It occurred to me recently that it might be important for you to know more than I've been telling you." Shalua admitted with a tight voice. "That is to say, when I saw you panicking over Cloud in the parking lot, I realized you are connected to this much more than I had thought." Turning, she closed her eyes. "If I took you in there now, knowing nothing, you'd die."

"Then tell me. Tell me what's going on."

Pain came across the woman's face and she sighed. "It's hard to say, hard to understand. Harder to live through." She removed her glasses, cleaning them with the edge of her coat. "What you have to understand is that monsters aren't always deformed and sickening atrocities. Sometimes..." She replaced the glasses, turning a cold glare upon the other woman. "Sometimes monsters look just like you and me. Or even like gods or angels... like the most beautiful things on earth."

"What happened to my town?" Tifa murmured. "And why is Cloud going there?"

"He was drawn there by darkness. Something that's inside that no amount of time or lies can hide. It's a disease that people like him and people like me carry deep within. Hatred. Madness. Could even say love has a hand in it." She smirked at an inside joke, turning her gaze back to the dirty snow outside.

Shalua's voice was taut with pain and fear, so much so that Tifa felt her own heart clench. Slowly, she approached the woman, and sat beside her on the end of the bed.

"You're right. There is something inside Cloud that's been tearing him apart, I've seen it. What I want to know is what is in that town that he could be looking for." Tifa clenched her fists but Shalua only shrugged.

"Who knows what he's looking for. Could be looking for himself. Listen to me;" The woman turned to face Tifa then. "You and I are both heading into that town to save people we love. Everyone says love is blind. Just... ugh..." She groaned and turned her eyes down. Over her slumped shoulders, Tifa could see the black snow falling harder and thicker. The window was almost clouded over.

"Just remember, Tifa, that even the darkest secrets will be revealed in time. And the very thing you're trying to save... it might kill you."

\.\.\.\ dying ././././

Cid and Vincent stepped into Nibelheim's city streets with relief, covered in sweat and blood. Cid was, at least; Vincent had yet to shed anything, and the only blood covering him was the blood of monsters.

_What is this guy? _The southerner wondered, almost afraid he'd found something worse than the monsters. But his fear of being alone won over his fear of the stranger. In this hellhole, the last thing he wanted was to have nobody at his back.

The foggy streets of the town echoed with ominous and seemingly random sounds, things one wouldn't expect to hear in such a place. The banging of metal, the screeching of steel... what was this place? Cid grunted and spat on the dirt, then turned to his ally.

"Well, now what?" He muttered, glancing around. "I ain't got the first fucking clue where to look for Shera. But I sure as hell don't want to just wander this place." He gripped the steel bar in his hands tight. He'd found it in the labyrinth below, and it was stained with the blood of creatures he'd bashed to death.

Vincent stepped forward, scanning the murky distance. "I cannot tell you where to look... but perhaps it would be a place your Shera had ties to."

Cid nodded. That made sense. "Well, she said her family lived here... but sure as hell don't look like it, and if they did, they're dead." He crossed his arms, bar tucked under his arm, and thought hard. "Got it!" He grinned. "Sher and I used to ferry supplies here for the lab Shinra kept. Maybe she headed to the old docks..." Cid glanced around. "It weren't a huge place, not too many airships headed this far north. But if I remember right, it was past the cemetery, away from town."

Vincent nodded. "Then it's this way." He stalked ahead, cape swirling behind him, and Cid hurried to follow.

Together they traversed the dark streets, alert and afraid, turning corners with weapons raised. They came down a side alley, entering a larger street and turning left. But as they came through the fog, the two found the road blocked off by a towering metal gate, covered in tarps and locked tight. Cid moved forward, glancing over it, reading the words painted on in dripping scrawl.

_The Nightmare Returns_

"... returns?" The blond muttered to himself. Something about the haphazardly painted message rang a chord of apprehension in the pilot's mind. Something felt vaguely familiar about it. Groaning, he turned away, shaking his head from irritation.

"We won't get through here." Vincent muttered. He turned and followed the angry pilot.

They wandered down the foggy streets searching for a way, propelled by alertness and fear, until Cid heard a frighteningly familiar sound and his body jolted. "Hear that?" His voice cracked, and he jumped when he heard it again. Vincent paused, alert.

"AGGAAAH!"

"It came from west of here." Vincent turned towards the scream, but Cid backed away from it.

"Let's get the fuck outta here!" The man yelled. Vincent shook his head.

"And what if that is one of your crew men?" That made the captain pause; he cursed, before running towards the screaming.

The agonized yells ended by the time Cid had turned onto the street. He slowed to a jog, as Vincent caught up, and cursed at the sight of the body.

It was torn to bits and entirely covered in blood. Having just been attacked, it was still bleeding from the gaping hole in its stomach. It wasn't even possible to tell what it used to look like anymore.

"Shit..." Cid coughed, turning away in disgust, but Vincent approached. He didn't seemed bothered, kneeling by the decimated body. Cid put his hands on his knees and kept coughing.

The other man reached a tentative gloved hand to the dead person's pocket. Something was stuck in it, glued in by the drying blood. Vincent pulled it out, revealing a badly soaked piece of folded paper.

Cid glanced over his shoulder, faced pale. "W - What's that?"

The other stood and unfolded it with his gloved hand.

_I dropped it, I left it in that dark dark hole_

_I need it so bad but I will never go back there back to that dark dark_

_Looks like I won't make it through the Nightmare no more_

The words were written in a dark green and brown, running down the page. At the bottom was the imprint of a key, which was now long gone. Vincent reread the short paragraph, thoughts clicking together in his head. He turned to Cid.

"I think I know where we need to go."

Cid approached, warily, eyes still averted from the corpse. "Yeah? Where's that?"

Vincent gestured to the note. "I think our friend here had a key to that fence blockade. But he lost it... in the 'dark dark'." Vincent then knelt by the body, gesturing to what it wore. "Look closely."

There was nothing he wanted to do less, but with a queasy stomach, Cid complied. The body was wearing very generic solid colored pants and shirt, with a number on the top left shoulder. Cid's eyebrows furrowed. Perhaps if the body hadn't been soaked in blood, its clothes might've been orange...

"Prison jumpsuit."

Vincent stood. "Dark hole indeed. That's likely where he left the key."

"Fucking great. Just where I want to go in a place like this." Cid frowned and turned away, glancing around the town. "Why the hell would a little town like this have a prison anyway?" Vincent passed by him, seeming to know the way.

"Little towns with very big secrets."

\.\.\.\. god ././././

The little dirt tunnel seemed to go on forever, only getting darker and smaller. Cloud felt the walls digging into his shoulders, the top pressing on his back, as his heart hammered harder and harder. He did not want to die underground of suffocation. Of all the ways to die, that was perhaps one of the worst. He wiped his eyes as more dirt fell onto his face.

Luckily for him, (or perhaps not) he did not die in that little tunnel. Eventually something akin to a light appeared in the distance, though it was so soft and dim Cloud could hardly see it. It was another thirty feet before he finally found the exit.

The way out of the tunnel was covered by some sort of clear, see through plastic. Cloud pressed his hands against it, tried to get it to move, but it wouldn't budge. Focusing, he tried seeing through it. On the other side was some sort of white room. Was... was something in there? There were a lot of words written on the walls, but they were slightly blurred by the barrier so Cloud couldn't read them.

A head slammed against the plastic on the other side, and Cloud screamed. Jumping, he hit his head against the dirt, as he scrambled away from the window.

The head was bleeding, covered in dirt and grime. Short, silver bangs covered its eyes from view, as the head rested motionless against the barrier. It did not twitch or move, only bled against the plastic, blood pouring from a gash on its forehead.

Cloud approached warily; it didn't seem alive, but was somehow standing on its own. He watched it almost entranced by the strange ethereal quality of its hair. The dripping blood moved down the bridge of its nose, smashed against the plastic. The drop of dark liquid moved downward, floating in the cleft above the lip. Cloud watched with a foreign and apprehensive feeling squeezing his stomach tight.

Then the lips moved against the plastic. Surprised, Cloud missed the message. The lips smirked, then moved again, pressed right against the plastic.

"I'll help you... you help me."

Help? Confused, Cloud watched the message repeat a third time. The person did not seemed annoyed by his hesitation. It simply smirked as Cloud thought it over. What did this person mean by help?

Scritch, scratch.

Cloud felt his spin stiffen. Immediately he turned to look behind him, only able to turn slightly due to the tight space. It was much too dark in the tunnel to see anything. But he thought he could hear something moving through the earth... something with claws digging into the tunnel.

Frantic, Cloud turned and nodded vigorously, moving as close as he could to the barrier. "I'll help you, you help me!" He mouthed, but the stranger did nothing but grin widely. So Cloud repeated it, over and over, pressing his own mouth against the barrier in an effort to push through. If the plastic had not stood between them, the two would have been touching lips.

The scratching was getting closer, and Cloud tried to ignore what sounded like heavy and labored breathing getting closer and closer. In this small space, he was trapped, unable to run and unable to fight. Whatever was coming was getting very close, its claws pulling at the dirt as it moved slowly towards its prey.

Finally, the silver haired stranger moved, backing away from the plastic. Cloud could now see he was injured very badly. Not only was he bleeding from a large gash on his head, but his left arm looked as if it had been grated with a serrated knife. Blood poured from jagged and ripped wounds, the skin flopping uselessly on his arm. The muscle could even be seen under what remained of the shredded shirt he wore. Cloud almost threw up, but he was too caught up in his fear of death to be disgusted.

In the next instance, Cloud watched the stranger pick up a sword, and press the edge into the small gap between the wall and the plastic. Then, with one arm, he proceeded to use it as a lever to pry the barrier open. It was actually working, as the thing inched open, but it wasn't working fast enough. Cloud could almost feel the claws raking down his back, as he reached out and pushed against the barrier. It was moving but so was the monster. Cloud turned and gasped in horror as he saw it, ten feet away and closing in.

A giant mouth split its face and neck into two, with jagged rows of rotting teeth filling it. Its long, gangly arms dug into the dirt to pull it forward, blood and grime trailing behind it. Cloud stopped looking, hyperventilating as he shoved even harder against the barrier.

Finally, it snapped off the wall, and Cloud tumbled down to the floor of the room. He hit his head hard against the tile, colors flashing before his eyes and ears ringing. For one short instance he was knocked out; and we he came to a moment later, the demon was above him, clutching the wall, snarling violently.

It opened its mouth and screeched, saliva dripping from its gaping maw onto Cloud's cheeks. He was frozen, on his back, staring death in the face. But just as the creature was leaping down to rip his pale neck and snap his vertebrae, the silver haired man leapt into action.

With his one good arm, he swung the sword and sliced the creature's left arm off, throwing it off balancing. Screaming, the thing fell to the ground beside Cloud, writhing in agony, as the man leapt over Cloud and knelt, shoving his sword through the thing's head. In seconds, it was dead, body spasming in its last moments.

Cloud watched, his own body shaking uncontrollably, as the silver haired stranger turned to him. Kneeling beside him, the man put his right hand on his forehead.

"Cold... huh." Cloud looked down. His fingers were trembling, pale, and covered in sweat. Heartbeat erratic, the man looked back up at the ceiling, wondering vaguely if he was having a heart attack or going into shock. He glanced at the other, saw his mutilated left arm again, and immediately looked away.

The stranger merely grunted, and stood, crossing the room. He dropped his sword onto his cot, and then knelt by a box at the foot of the bed. Cloud watched, vision blurring, as he pulled out some kind of medicine bottle.

"This will calm you down. I don't recommend it for others, but for you and me... it'll work." He held the bottle clamped between his thighs, then used his good hand to open it. He removed a pill, then placed the lid back.

When he approached Cloud, the blond was seeing triple of everything. The pills in the three strangers hands were green colored horse pills. Cloud did not like horse pills. His mother used to give them to him and they always tasted bad - always always - but this wasn't his mother, no, his mother was a blonde...

"I think she's a blonde..." Cloud muttered as the man tried to force the pill into his mouth, but his tongue pushed it out. Frowning, the stranger rolled his eyes as he put the pill against his own lips.

"You're more trouble than you're worth." Pill in his mouth, the man knelt and pressed his lips against Cloud's. He remained there, pushing the pill into the other mans mouth, fighting him until he swallowed it. Once it was down his throat, the stranger moved Cloud's head into his lap and comforted him with a hand on his forehead.

It took a good ten minutes for Cloud to feel relatively normal. "What... what the hell happened?" His strained voice cracked as he used it.

"I haven't the foggiest. And even if I did, why would I tell you? You're the one who owes me twice over now." Cloud's vision wasn't quite clear as he looked up at the foggy sight of the green eyed, silver haired man.

"S - Seph -?"

"Do I look like a friend of yours?" As his eyes returned to normal, Cloud realized this man was much younger than Sephiroth had been; his chin was less defined, his eyes more open and overall he appeared much younger.

"Who a - are you?"

"Kadaj. You're Cloud aren't you?" When the blond's eyes widened, he smirked. "I knew it. Of course, that's why the pill worked. And why you look so handsome too, our kind always does." Cloud slowly sat up, rubbing his head.

He caught sight of the dead monster across the way. "Did that thing do this to me?"

"I told you I don't know. Here." He tossed the bottle to the blond. "If it happens again, you'll need those. I have plenty. This box always has what I need. Except for the god damned key."

"Key?" Kadaj nodded across the room.

It was then Cloud took in their surroundings. The room was entirely white, with a small cot in the corner with the medicine box, and the walls were padded. The floor looked like it used to be, but in most places it looked like someone had torn the padding up to reveal dingy brown tile. Cloud then looked to see that what Kadaj wore - what was left of it - was white too. In fact, it look like a straight jacket, with the ties untied so that they hung loose off his arms.

On the far wall was at thick door with a small window to look out of.

"I've been trying to get out of here forever, but other than that tunnel and the door, there's no way. And as you can see, I'm hardly fit to crawl my way out of here." Kadaj gestured to his brutally torn arm, which would never support him through the long trip out of the tunnel. "And I don't have the key to the door."

"So, we're trapped?" Kadaj shook his head.

"I said I can't do it. You can." The man smirked and pointed up. Cloud followed the direction to see a vent high above them on the ceiling.

"Together, the two of us can reach that. Then you can climb up and get out of here. Find that key and set me free, and I'll consider our debt repaid. Your life for my freedom."

Cloud examined the vent, then looked at Kadaj. "Who are you? And where are we?"

"I told you I'm Kadaj. As for where we are, that would be the basements beneath Pheonix Hospital. I was locked in here a long time ago, and I've been trying to get out ever since."

Something in Cloud's gut told him that wasn't the whole story. "Why where you locked up?"

The other man scoffed violently and stood, disgust in his eyes. "What is this, the Inquistion? All I want is to get out of here!"

"And I all want are answers."

"I saved your life!"

The blond stood. "I know that, and I will pay you back, I just want to know what's going on here. What the hell -" He shouted that word angrily as all his frustration and fear accumilated. "is going on here!"

Kadaj paused, looking over him again. "Huh. Here I thought you were just a puppet - apparently you're a puppet trying to move against your strings. Our very own Ponnochio."

Confusion filled the blond's eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Ignoring that question, Kadaj gestured around them with his good arm. "I was locked in here because they feared me. They wanted me. They wanted me and they were scared of wanting me so they buried me so deep no one would find me. No one but you apparently. But maybe that's because you've felt the same fire I have. You've been burned too. That must be what led you here."

A bit of fire rose in Cloud's heart then. "I don't know what you're talking about. I came here to find my friends."

"You're dead friends?"

Cloud clenched his fists. "They aren't dead. I won't believe it until I see it myself."

For some reason that made Kadaj laugh, his shoulders shaking. As they shook, the loose skin on his arm fumbled uselessly, and more blood poured out. His laughing became frantic gasping, but he still had a smile on his face.

"Okay. Okay, believe what you want. I just want out." He looked up and Cloud saw the pain in his eyes. He looked from the agonized green pupils, to the yellow and decaying skin, to the wound on his forehead.

"Who did that to you?"

"So full of questions aren't you?" Kadaj smiled lightly. "I'll make you a deal. I'll answer every one of your damn questions when you get me out of here."

Cloud paused for only a second, looking into those eyes, before he chose. "Done."

\.\.\.\. deal with the devil ././././

Kadaj stood beneath the vent, as Cloud began second guessing the deal. The silver haired man waited for Cloud to climb up, glancing over his shoulder. "Well?"

Cloud's eyes were fixed on the bruised skin of his left shoulder, the flapping skin that had been torn from flesh. Kadaj chuckled. Cloud met his eyes and took in a deep breath, finally setting his hands on the other man's skin. He pulled himself up, trying his best to be gentle, but there was no way as he set his feet on the man's dying, bleeding skin. Kadaj grimaced in agony, but didn't make a sound as he held Cloud's right foot with his good hand.

The blond rushed to remove the vent, which had rusted and turned brown. With a few good tugs it came off, and he threw it on the bed. He almost hesitated before climbing up, but he heard Kadaj let out a faint wheeze. Steeling himself, he reached inside, grabbing the edge and struggling to pull himself up.

Kadaj let out a sob of relief as he collapsed onto the bed, a gusher of blood pouring from his upper arm where Cloud had stood with his mud and grime covered boots upon his wounds. He glanced up to see the man scrambling into the air duct. In a moment he saw Cloud look out.

"Any idea where the key is?"

Kadaj nodded, sweat pouring down his brow. "It - It's -" He paused, licking his lips, brow furrowed as he gasped. "Third floor. Doctor's office. H - Hurry."

With sympathetic eyes, Cloud nodded, before turning and hurrying down the tunnel. He had a feeling Kadaj wouldn't last much longer - he couldn't dwindle. He had to help him, had to save him; after all, the man had saved his life twice.

A voice deep in the distant part of his mind whispered something else that Cloud didn't even hear. But there was an image that kept replaying in his head. An image - a recollection, the sight of waking and looking up to see Kadaj who looked so much like - like -

Cloud crawled on, metal groaning around him, as he pushed through the darkness.

\.\.\.\. memory ././././

A car slowed to a halt at the first gas station in town. Tifa opened her door and stepped out, feeling her throat tightening as she glanced around at the place she'd once called home.

Shalua stepped out next, eyes narrow and dangerous, as she slammed her car door shut. She looked up at Tifa, murmuring darkly.

"Welcome home."


	7. swallowed

FINAL HELL

Chapter Seven

"Welcome home."

Tifa winced at the dark words and turned her head. Home. It had been a long time since she'd thought of any place in the world as "home". Not since her mother died had any place of residence held any kind of love or warmth for her... Frowning, Tifa lifted her head to see Shalua stalking off into the fog. She slammed her car door and followed.

The two walked slowly through the dense cloud, as Tifa examined what had once been Nibelheim. Buildings still stood; signs, despite years of aging, were still legible. The woman's eyes widened as she took it all in: the Chocobo Mart... the used book store... the Marshall's house...

"How is this all still here?" She whispered, feet halting. "I watched it... watched it all burn to the ground."

"You're right; and somewhere out there stands the burnt Nibelheim. That's not where we are." Shalua turned to Tifa. "Remember what I told you. This isn't the normal world, and nothing is real."

The brunette nodded; Shalua had explained a lot of what to expect in the town, including illusions. But she hadn't truly thought of it; of what she would do when faced with the phantom of her hometown. All she had to do was close her eyes:

_The crackle of fire eating at timber..._

_The screams of the trapped and the dying, footfalls as civilians ran for their lives..._

_And the steady, thumping beat of the darkness..._

Tifa glanced at the familiar buildings one more time before turning away to follow her partner.

"So where are we headed?" Tifa murmured. Her eyes remained trained on her feet as she attempted to drown out the memories.

"Forward." Shalua stated simply. "The town will show us the way. Eventually."

The brunette looked up. "What do you mean?"

But the leader had slowed to a halt, hands akimbo, looking up at something. Tifa hurried to catch up and the "something" became visible through the fog.

A giant fence, eleven feet tall and covered in bloodied barbed wire, blocked the path, extending across the whole road. On the other side of it was a pit, cutting the street in half, and so dark it seemed endless. Gasping at the sight, Tifa's eyes flittered back and forth from the bits of flesh caught in the fence, to the darkness below, to the hole; the human sized hole in the middle of the fence, where it appeared someone had been forcibly dragged through and into the darkness. Blood surrounded this hole, and merely by looking it at, Tifa felt all her joy and happiness vanish.

"As I explained yesterday, this town has a way of leading you the way it wants you to go." Shalua muttered darkly. She glanced over the entrails draped across the metal, then turned to face a side street. "Come on."

Tifa remained stock still as her ally walked off. When no footsteps accompanied hers, Shalua turned to see Tifa transfixed, horrified eyes glued to the gaping wound in the fence.

"Tifa?" Calling her name seemed to work. The brunette shook her head, and turned to follow.

The building was dull gray and fog shrouded, jutting higher into the sky than any of the other buildings in the town despite being a mere three stories. Grass crunched under their boots as Cid and Vincent approached Nibelheim Correctional Facility.

"Still think it's fuckin' weird a little place like this town got it's own Prison. Town Jail, I could see, for the drunks an' all." The blond spit unto the soiled ground. "... this just makes no sense. Nothing here does."

Behind him, the brunet's vibrant eyes stared through the fog, taking in the image and its details as Cid rambled. He stepped forward first, heading down the hill towards their destination.

A tall, barbed wire fence surrounded the whole building, and a large guard tower loomed above, to the left, as the men approached. Cid glanced up at the abandoned building, a shiver in his gut. Dusty, cracked windows high above seemed to have eyes of their own as Cid shuddered and grunted, turning away.

Vincent placed his golden clawed hand on the fence. "I assume the key the man left behind was left in solitary - the darkest part of the prison. We must find our way there."

The southerner merely chuckled. "I think gettin' in at all would be top priority." Vincent ignored the smart remark, instead clenching his clawed hand quite suddenly.

SCREEECH - the metal tore as he closed his hand and pulled, ripping the fence apart with little effort. Cid jumped, cursing, as Vincent repeated the process again, then again, until the hole was large enough for a person and metal covered the dying grass.

Finished with his work, Vincent lowered his arm. "Problem solved." The tall man then ducked under the metal, walking straight into the foggy prison yard.

Cid stared after him. "... did you just make a joke?"

Something in the grass shifted - Cid saw nothing, but his legs leapt into action anyway, propelling him through the fence in an effort not to be left behind.

Nothingness floated through the yard, and it echoed over the blood stained ground. Flecks of the almost black substance stained every part of the ground, and were so common that it was impossible to avoid stepping on it.

"Fucking sick!" Eyes flying from splatter to splatter beneath his feet, staining the already dirty earth, Cid didn't notice Vincent walking ahead. If he'd paid attention, he would've seen the rare sight of the man's skin becoming even paler.

"... Cid."

"What!" The blond's head flew up, blustered and impatient. "What is it now!" He stormed over to stand by the man, staring at him. His anger vanished at the sight of Vincent's red eyes wide and shocked, mouth agape, as he stared at the ground.

"... I don't want to look, do I?" The pilot murmured, skin growing ashen. Despite every thought telling him not to, Cid slowly turned, and let his eyes fall to the earth.

Blood.

The very center of the prison yard was covered with a giant pool of blood so large it was the size of a swimming pool. As if noticing it changed something, Cid suddenly found his feet sinking into it, inches deep into the congeal quagmire. Stumbling and flailing as the horrifying feeling traveled up his legs and shook his spine, Cid only managed to fall onto his ass right into the mixture.

"... how could this much blood be split in one place?" Vincent, his feet already a good foot deep in the muck, didn't seem to notice Cid's desperate shouts. As if in a trance, he stared at the blackish-red tragedy. "... what could this mean?"

"Vincent!" Cid was falling deep, sinking further than seemed physically possible, and one arm had become trapped. Revulsion and horror choking him, Cid gave up pride for safety and bawled. "VINCENT HELP! WAKE UP! HELP!"

"Is this a sign?" Cid noticed that Vincent's eyes were dilated, his mouth partially open as he stared into the distance. "Is this a symbol of what's to come, our fate? Or a memory of what has already passed?" His ally's screams weren't getting through - and he didn't seem to hear the distant groans and screeches of the monsters closing in, either.

Cid didn't need to hear them, he could see them, dull forms in the fog, moving in erratic, stomach turning patterns. Things without arms, monsters that screamed through mouths covered in a layer of stretched flesh.

A squelch, a high pitched squeal of sound - Cid's head flew around, falling sight on Vincent as the man slowly lifted his head to the darkened sky.

"Come on, vamp man, snap out of it! Snap out of it! We're about to die and you're just standing there rambling about blood while the shit's sucking us -!" Panic colored his face as Vincent took no heed, merely allowing his eyelids to ever so... slowly... close.

And once they did, SNAP. His body flew down into the mire and was gone.

"VINCENT!" Voice cracking mid word, Cid's throat clenched, drawing in tight, panicked breaths. The man's chest began heaving even as it sank into the pit. The monsters were nearer, crawling towards his grave, shrieking, and Cid could hear in their cries words.

_FEAR... FEAR..._

_NOW YOU SHALL FEEL IT._

Tears stung the captain's eyes as he finally let them close, and thus darkness dragged him down.

Light flitted over Cid's eyelids as feeling returned to his aching limbs. It wasn't a bright light - more a little lamp in a dark room devoid of all else. Burning echoed in his throat as he sat up, the raw sensation that came from hours of heartbreaking tears. But Cid Highwind did not cry; he was a man, and men never cried.

Still, the burning didn't go away as he stumbled to his feet. Vision was blurry as he slowly opened his eyes, but there was a light he could see, far off down the hall.

_Wait... where am I?_

Memories swooped in on him as Cid recalled the pool of blood, Vincent's strange reaction. Curses fell from his mouth in quick succession as Cid's vision cleared and he examined the area.

Narrow, dark, metallic: light was scarce, though noise was not, as creaks and groans, like the sounds of decaying wood came from all around. Cid took a step forward and heard a light splash. He had a feeling he knew... yes; it was blood. There was a trail of it running down the hall, towards the light. On either side of the narrow hall were rusted bars.

He was in the prison.

The captain sighed, throat still aching, as he tried to calm what was left of his nerves. The man lifted his head up and was greeted with dingy, stained concrete.

"... does everythin' here have to be underground?" Quietly he complained, almost afraid something would hear and respond. Then he steeled his courage, and moved towards the light.

"... Vincent."

Groggy; vision blurred and dark; migraine, lack of memory of the last hour or so.

Body ripped apart by pain and agony, torn from the inside by bruises, wear and tear.

"Vincent."

Her voice... he lifted his hazy eyes to try and see her. All the clues pointed one place, and her presence was the clincher. Vincent was back in Hell.

Hell was apparently a small white room, with a bed and a chair. As he raised his head, Vincent took in the sight of the bars lining the front wall a foot from him... she stood on the other side.

"... luc..." For some reason his tongue felt swollen, his head heavy; bile rose in his throat and he gagged on it, head falling forward, shoulders shaking.

"Vincent."

What was this horrifying, twisting thing in his gut, the fire of some kind of hate swallowing him whole and destroying his insides? Arching his back, Vincent let out screams he would have swallowed if it had been HIM watching, and not her.

"Vincent."

Gasping for breath, Vincent's back remained arched as the pain continued, growing larger, shooting up his throat like vomit trying to escape. He choked, and tried lifting his hands to cover his mouth, but found he couldn't. Both were chained to the back wall, and he could only move them so far.

Arms locked, though he struggled, toes curling from disgust, eyes squeezed tight, Vincent listened to her repeating his name and tried to remain calm. The bile and spit in his mouth was about to pour over his lips.

_Click, clack, click, clack. _

"Wah -" Trying to speak had been a bad idea, as it just led to all the liquid in his mouth pouring down his throat, as sudden convulsions wracked his body. "Lu - Luh!"

She could hear his tragic gasping but kept walking away. A bit of anger swelled in him and gave him the strength to finish a word.

"LUCRECIA!"

His only reply was the heavy slam of a door closing behind her - and the ill man was left alone, locked and chained in his cell.

No matter how long he walked towards the light, it never grew brighter. The hall never seemed to change much, only repeating dank cell after dank cell. Once, Cid had glanced in, and had greatly regretted it. Shaken to the core, Cid feared closing his eyes and being unable to wipe away the image of a body's outline on the wall, arms up in surrender, with a huge halo of blood and gore and thick lumps of flesh glued all around it.

Looking up at the ceiling, which hid the sky from him, was like an insult, so Cid was left with staring at the blots of blood staining the ground beneath his feet. It was physically impossible to bleed this much and still be able to walk, but Cid supposed many other, much more impossible things were happening in this town that he didn't even want to think about.

Suddenly he couldn't follow the split blood anymore; bars were in his way. The hall ended at another cell, twice the size of the others, and from the look of the reflection on the scum coated floor, it was the origin of the light.

Cid didn't move; his eyes remained trained on the ground, frozen on what little he could see in the red reflection on the blood. There was something in the room, and though it wasn't like the atrocity from before, it was unsettling... He could see the blurry image of a chair, and a woman in white sitting on it, head down.

The blond's head came up slowly, eyes wide and horrified, landing on the sight of the woman. Shoulders loss and head low, she looked almost drugged, eyes lidded and mouth partially open. She hardly moved for breathing.

Cid's breath halted in his throat.

"... Shera?"

Cloud hated hospitals with a passion. They always smelled of cleanser and soap, and for all the heart stopping, important moments that occurred within, everyone always seemed so detached. Apologies hardly meant anything, and results varied.

This hospital was very different.

Hunched against the wall with his chest rising rapidly, Cloud pressed hard against the stained wallpaper and tried not to breath. The dog like... thing... was just around the bend, and could probably smell him, but it didn't matter if the thing found him. All that mattered was that Cloud remain calm enough to kill it once it rounded the bend.

_In, out. In, out. _Trying to breath, Cloud clutched the pipe in his hands tightly and prayed to God, any God, though he'd never been sure one existed, and if it did, it was very, very far from here.

A tongue appeared to his left, curling slightly in the air. Cloud heard the obligatory sniffs that meant the hell hound was looking for him, and suddenly the tongue grew longer and longer, a purply, unhealthy blotched thing. It began turning in the air towards him - Cloud unleashed a scream and the pipe came crashing down.

It yelped, but Cloud just stood and raced around the bend, letting his weapon descend again and again, long after the thing had stopped snarling.

"Huhf... huhf..." The end of the pipe hit the ground with a clang, and by that point Cloud was so drained and tired he hardly cared if making noise would bring other creatures. Instead, he collapsed to the floor.

The hospital was completely chock full of hellish, stomach churning abominations, things that crawled and things that looked human but certainly weren't and lacked the faces for it. He'd seen something that looked like a doctor downstairs... but it had no face, only a mouth which groaned and gurgled in agony as its skin bubbled and hissed like acid covered him head to toe. Luckily the nasty thing hadn't been able to get to him, since it was locked inside a room like Kadaj's, but it was unsettling still.

Cloud looked up at the ceiling with exhausted eyes and felt completely overwhelmed. He was still just in the basement levels, of which there were three, but he needed to get to the third floor of the main hospital. How the hell was he supposed to do that with all these locked doors and blockades and monstrous things standing in his way?

_Run; run and don't look back._

A image flashed in his mind of the silver haired man, locked in his cell, body bruised and bleeding, eternally alone, and Cloud knew he couldn't leave. Despite how much he feared traveling further in this place, he couldn't leave Kadaj to his fate.

So, with a hand on the wall, Cloud stood up, limbs trembling and covered with sweat. His pipe almost slid out of his hands; he wiped his palm off on his jacket, then strengthened his grip around the object. It was the only thing keeping him alive.

In his mind he thought of his next step.

He needed the stairs, or the elevator, one. Each floor had two stairwells, one on the east and one on the west side. The east side stairwell ended at level two of the basement; the steps simply collapsed, and the gap was too wide to jump. The door to the west stairwell was locked on the second floor, and on the bottom floor, a huge blockade of debris in the hall kept him from getting closer. As for the elevator, well, the power in the hospital was completely down.

_I guess that means turning on the power is the goal._ Cloud thought with a grunt as pain shot up his leg; he glanced down to see a little blood. _ Must've been scraped at some point..._ He'd lost track of his wounds.

Where would power be? Usually mechanics such as that were in the basement, but this was no ordinary basement, and there were multiple levels. _ It would just be my luck if it was on the top level. _

He could only hope his luck was improving and that it was close by... somewhere.

The hall Cloud was in was shaped like a T, with Cloud standing at the intersection. He had just come from the longer hall, and now stood before the two shorter halls. On his left were five doors, two on each one, and one on the end. One of the doors had yellow caution tape covering it head to toe, and a large rusted sign in the center depicting radiation. The other hall had the same amount of rooms: one was missing a door, another had blood and what looked like oil pooling at the base.

Steeling his nerves, Cloud went right and approached the first door. Locked. The second door was as well, but the third opened.

The third door led to an office so dark Cloud couldn't see his hand in front of his face. He could barely make out the outline of a desk and a lamp... squinting, Cloud tried focusing on a dull light coming from somewhere. Checking the ground, Cloud took a step into the dark, then another. The light became easier to see.

Something under the desk was shining; Cloud approached it quickly and knelt to see a bright light hidden under stacks of fallen papers. Pushing them aside, Cloud removed a glowing rock.

It wasn't a materia; the surface wasn't smooth, nor was it perfectly round. It was rough and jagged, and green, glowing unnaturally. Confused, Cloud turned the thing over many times in his hand, but found no clue as to what it was. It simply continued to glow.

Standing, the man held on to his new flashlight, and waved it over the desk. Bloody handprints lined it; two on either side of the desk, trailing off the edge as if... Cloud forced the image out of his mind. He had enough nightmares as it was.

A few pieces of paper turned brown by time remained on the surface. Cloud glanced back to check the chair, then sat as it creaked and squealed beneath him. Setting the rock on the desk, Cloud lifted the paper. The green light filtered through it, making it look as if the paper were glowing.

_Mako Shipment Log_

Mako... as in the energy source? Frowning, Cloud scanned the paper then set it aside. Why would a hospital need shipments of Mako? _Only energy reactors used that stuff..._

The next paper was just as useless, some sort of memo about needing more Mako to meet demand. The last paper was a photograph.

When Cloud tried to lift it, he found it wouldn't budge; it seemed to be glued to the wood. He lifted the rock to get a closer look and saw that a pool of congeal... something surrounded it, keeping it on the desk. It was yellow and green and unhealthy looking.

The picture itself was of an apple tree in full bloom, fruit red and ready for plucking, leaves healthy and green. It was a bright day. The tree was on the right side of the image; the left side had writing on it.

_What it tastes like?_

It wasn't the best English, but Cloud got the idea. He frowned. _Who doesn't know what apples taste like? _

For some reason the image disturbed him; Cloud stood quickly, taking his light and leaving the room.

The next room had no door; Cloud shone the light into it.

_Hyejk-!_

Jumping, Cloud hit the corner of the hall, light lowered. His eyes remained glued on the dark room.

_Huuuuk! Click._

His pipe lifted into the air, Cloud tried regulating his breathing as he waited for the monstrosity to show itself. BA-DUM, BA-DUM. The beating of his heart pounding in his ears almost kept him from hearing the creature struggling to breath.

A hand grabbed the door frame, pale white and blotchy with gray spots, nails cracked and bubbling with blood. Another strangled breath came as the thing appeared fully, it's head shaking uncontrollably.

The monster was dressed like a nurse, but had long since been one; bandages soaked in blood and excrement covered its face and neck, while the skin that showed was deathly pale, veins blue and prominent, with growths all over, dark spots that seemed to throb as it moved.

Cloud's pipe came down on its head even as the thing lifted its scalpel.

Five minutes later, it was "dead", slumped on the floor. Every so often its legs would twitch, and Cloud would deliver another blow. He hit a sore, sending blood and puss careening through the air, littering his arms. Finally it stopped twitching, and Cloud fell back against the wall, pale faced and heaving.

_This can't be good for my health. _

He didn't allow himself a long reprieve this time; hoisting himself up, he headed into the room the "nurse" had just left, holding the light up.

Bile rose in his throat at the sight of hospital beds soaked in a mixture of human liquids, sheets torn by what looked like claws, computers crushed and falling apart. The floor was wet and sticky as he walked across it, approaching the other bed.

This bed had a lump in it, only slightly covered by the sheet, and when he approached, it twitched. Back stepping quickly, trying to keep his mouth shut, Cloud rushed from the room.

With hurried steps he crossed from one hall to the other, fists clenched.

That was when he heard it.

Tifa followed Shalua through side streets and back alleys, turning at each obstacle, going what seemed like a random path. It annoyed the brunette that they knew so little of where to go. She wanted to find Cloud and get the hell out, as fast as she could.

After what seemed like hours of meaningless meandering, Shalua slowed to a halt. Tifa, aggravated, put her hands on her hips and approached - her anger lessened when she saw the other woman's face.

Deathly pale, eyes wide, mouth falling open... "What's wrong?" Tifa whispered. The woman merely looked to the ground.

"... do you hear it?"

"Hear what?" The other woman didn't reply, beginning to tremble slightly.

"... and so soon. I had hoped we'd have time." She quickly turned to Tifa, trying to control herself, though her voice cracked as she spoke. "Remember what I said. Remember - it's not real. Tell me."

"I know, you gave me this lecture yesterday."

"Repeat it!" She shouted, becoming more frantic by the second.

"All right! It's not real!"

The woman hardly seemed placated; like a frightened animal she back away slowly, arms stiff. "None of its real. It will hurt because they want to hurt you, don't let them. Your secrets are your own, your faults and failures and sins are yours, not theirs. Don't let them use them against you."

"... Shalua?" Truly frightened, Tifa tried approaching the other woman, but Shalua shook her head strongly and turned away.

"Face the darkness! If you want to live, watch out for yourself, not me! Turn and get ready!" She screamed, voice shaking. "If you're not careful, they'll take you."

Completely confused, Tifa threw her hands up and scoffed. "This is nuts. I'm with a mad woman - what the hell am I doing?"

Shalua turned for one moment to face Tifa, mouth open as if to speak

then the lights went out.

That was when he heard it.

The Siren.

Freezing in place, Cloud felt every molecule of his being tremble in horror. It grew louder and louder and he grew fainter as it echoed. Hyperventilating and shivering as the "other world" came back down, Cloud shut his eyes and prayed it was a nightmare - that it would be over soon - that death would be painless.

Hlck-!

"Hhn!" Cloud's breath expelled in fear, the man's eyes flew open.

Hyek!

Stiffly, slowly, he turned his aching shoulders, burning from beating down enemies, and found one he'd killed was again alive. The nurse was twitching violently, much more than before, head vibrating in impossible time. How? It was dead! Head beaten in, bleeding from every limb - he had beaten it to death!

The knowledge floored him as Cloud watched the beast stand. He stepped back - it stepped forward.

The change began.

The rusted, blood crusted floor melted away into rusted, blood crusted grates, which echoed with his every step. Old, stained wallpaper became a gelatinous mass of red and black things which moved like fire on the cursed walls. Every door turned to blackened metal, every window became barred.

For a brief, vital moment, all the lights went out, even the one in his hand.

"Don't come back!" Cloud shrieked, almost running backwards. "DON'T!" he would rather die in darkness than see what was coming for him now.

Too late - the dim light came back. The hall was so shrouded in shadow and darkness that without the odd rock in his hand, Cloud wouldn't have seen most of it; as it was, his eyes were fixed on the beast before him.

The nurse was approaching, still bleeding from every wound Cloud had given it - but something had changed. Though it approached him steadily, dragging its wound legs forward, arms limp at its sides, the thing was screeching. What was causing it so much pain? Grimacing and sweating, Cloud hit the door and could move no more. The screeching didn't let up - Cloud began screaming as he dropped both pipe and light to cover his ears. They clattered to the floor but he didn't hear it.

It started at the mouth - though it was covered by what were now almost black bandages, the liquid managed to pour out, a strange mix of blood, black, and yellow, which burned the ground it fell upon. Only a little released at first, then a bit more, until a waterfall of darkness poured from the creature's lips as it screamed.

Then, every sore began to bleed the same mixture, growing larger and larger until they burst and poured the poison onto the things skin and the ground. Whatever it fell upon sizzled and burned, taking both flesh and metal. It kept happening, and somehow, the thing's screams were getting even louder. How could so much be pouring out? Cloud's hazy eyes, vision blurred by panic and lack of oxygen, fell upon the bubbling wounds created by the concoction, turning the nurse's skin red and bleeding. Vomit spewed from his mouth as Cloud fell to his knees.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

_Something - something burned - something - but the tears burned more than the fire, oh how they bled - and two words were pouring from his mouth over and over - _where was this memory coming from?_ - he was a kid and his world was on fire - mom dead - friends dead - family dead - everyone dead._

_Two words pouring from his mouth over and over and over -_

The rivulets of blood and poison were running down the beast's arm, dripping off its scalpel, which now burned the same way, and would burn his flesh as soon as it touched. The thing lifted its tortured arm.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_Two words - two words - what did they mean_ - where was this memory coming from? -

"_My reunion!"_

The door behind Cloud opened, cracks breaking its surface as it creaked. When fully opened, it revealed a pit of darkness. The man, curled into a ball and weeping, slowly and gently fell back, over the edge, into the shadows.

When the darkness abated, Shalua was gone.

Tifa's head snapped around. "Shalua?" She called. "Shalua!"

It was no help. Panic began setting in as Tifa realized she was alone in this old, haunted place. "Come on, where are you!" Crazy or not, Shalua was her only ally, and Tifa didn't want to fight this place alone.

The woman raced forward, eyes darting here and there, trying to catch sight of anyone at all - but there was nothing. It was entirely vacant, and Shalua had disappeared.

The alley way ended and Tifa slid to a halt, spinning around. She cursed violently. "Back where we started!" Sure enough, she was standing right in the same road as before, with the large fence and the gaping hole in the ground. Stomping her foot, Tifa glanced up at the road leading out of town.

There was something suspicious about Shalua, Tifa had felt that all along; now she was sure. Maybe she's a serial killer or something. Tifa frowned darkly. Takes people to abandoned places, then mutilates them. Cloud might've not even come to Nibelheim, maybe he had just gone off to be alone for a while, then come home to find his friend had vanished...

"This is crazy." Sighing, she put her head in her hands and breathed deeply. _Maybe I should just go home..._

"Hmmm... hmm hmmm..."

Tifa froze.

"Hmmm hmm hmmm... _three magic wishes, three magic beans, three gods in heaven, nine deaths for me..._"

Her feet were glued to the earth, hands trembling, and she wanted to move but feared to. She had to know who that was behind her, with that voice so distant but familiar... but her feet refused to move.

"_Once for a lover, twice for a friend, thrice for another I never saw again... fourth for a failure, fifth for a gem... sixth I never remember, seventh I can't forget_"

Ignoring the stiff muscles in her legs, Tifa slowly turned her head, nervous and yet anxious, more so than she'd ever been. Finally her body began obeying her as she moved. She saw the fence... kept turning, more fence... where was this person?

"_Eight hurt most when God fell down on me, yet Nine's my true number, when pleasure made me bleed_."

She turned a little more, looking further for the person, then her eyes darted back to the hole in the fence. Tifa's breath stopped.

Through the hole... on the other side of the gap... sitting there was a woman. Balancing on her feet near the ground, hands on her lap, the woman was turned away, singing her morbid song. She wore a pink dress, with a pink ribbon in her long brown hair. Tifa felt her heart twist and twist at the sight of the dead.

"... Aerith."

The woman didn't quite hear - she was using a stick to draw in the dust, dragging it down and around like a child.

"_Three magic wishes, three magic beans, no gods in heaven, only hatred for me_"

"Aerith!" Voice bordering on desperate, tears began pouring down Tifa's cheeks. This time, the woman heard, her head lifting. She stood, dust falling from her shapely form as she left the stick on the ground. Then, she turned her head.

It was her. Tifa's heart almost stopped in her chest.

"... Tifa." The woman smiled, and pain choked the brunette's throat.

"Aerith, you - you're alive! You're alive!" Ecstatic, the woman raced to the fence. "Cloud - oh god, Cloud was right! Aerith!"

The other woman seemed unaffected by Tifa's emotional outbursts, simply turning to face her with a soft smile. Then she lifted her hand.

Sliding to a halt in front of the hole in the fence, Tifa stared at the offered hand incredulously. "...What?" She glanced up to Aerith's face. "You want me... to jump?"

"You can do it." She let a friendly grin come to her face. "I've always believed in you."

Throat dry, Tifa glanced down at the darkness, then at her revived friend. "I suppose miracles happen." She whispered, before backing up a few feet. "Okay. Here I come."

Steadying herself and her nerves, Tifa took in a deep breath, then broke into a sprint. Kicking up dust into the fog, Tifa raced at the hole, determination driving her. It came closer and closer... then she leapt.

The woman tried not looking down, focusing on Aerith's smile - but for a brief instant Tifa glanced at the darkness and felt true fear. She gasped, startled, as she fell towards the other side. At just the last moment, Aerith's hand grabbed hers. But she hadn't come quite far enough - her legs slid down into the pit, scraping the earthy wall, but Aerith didn't let her fall.

She was dangling above death, her only hope being that the wisp of a girl above her had enough strength to pull her up. Desperate, Tifa looked up to Aerith and squeezed her hand.

"Come on, pull! If you can just - I think I can -" But Aerith wasn't doing anything at all, just smiling again. Tifa felt her heart sink. "Aerith?"

"You can do it." Aerith repeated. "You can see what the others won't. I've always believed in you." For a long moment, the two friends simply stared at each other.

"... Aerith?"

The flower girl let go.

Tifa's eyes widened in horror as she felt her hold give way, falling from the wall, beginning the long plummet into shadow. In an instant she saw Aerith turn and walk away, before her lungs gave in and she blacked out.

**Sorry that, once again, an update took so long. I've put some of my other stories on the back burner so I can focus on this one, since it's likely not to be very long. I want to finish it before I end up distracted. **

**We're now at the halfway point - there's probably ten more chapters before the end. I hope you guys liked it!**

**Sulhadahne**


	8. a murderous light

**Final Hell**

**Chapter Seven**

_a murderous light_

The stench brought him back to life; thick, blood soaked air, tinged with months of rotting and decay. Revolting and suffocating, it sank into his lungs like a weight, made his eyes water and his throat burn. A burst of coughing erupted as Cloud started to stand, weary limbs forced to move.

When he opened his eyes it was hard to see; with the tears blurring his vision, and the dark fog that hovered over the room. Not a single light shone. From what pieces he could see, Cloud stood on a decrepit, blood soaked tile floor.

"Shit."

As soon as the curse left his mouth - _**GRRN**_ - the moan of steel scraping against steel. Cloud jumped, spinning towards the direction with his arms up - he waited. Nothing came.

It was then he noticed all his weapons were gone, every tool he'd had, simply lost. He would've cursed again, but the noise made him nervous.

Where was he? Cloud squinted to see better, but it hardly helped. The disgusting smell made him woozy, moving drunkenly through the room, desperate to find a light source of any kind.

His foot hit something, and it rolled across the floor, before hitting against something metal with an empty echo. CLANG.

The blond knelt, and groped for it, curious and hopeful, yet slightly afraid of what he might find. At best, something useful. At worst...

Finally his sweaty hand took hold of something, a plastic handle, which led to a larger opening, and on the end was a switch... with a flick, brightness erupted from the flashlight, strong enough to rival the light of the grin on Cloud's face.

_A flashlight! Score one for something useful._

The trail of light fluttered across the room as Cloud examined his location. Despite the light, it was dreadfully dark; shadows were made by the stretchers that filled the room, lining the walls. The furthest wall from him was covered by a huge locker type formation, made of metal, some of the doors partially open. Cloud could glance in and see... he flinched and averted his eyes.

The morgue. He'd fallen into the hospital's morgue.

Damning his luck, Cloud let the beam of light fall from the bodies near him as he attempted to navigate the room. The sight was atrocious. These were not the bodies of those who'd fallen to illness or old age. In fact, almost all were around his age, and all male as well. Contorted and twisted, flesh ripped open and sewn crudely shut, entrails pouring out of gaping wounds, faces frozen in horrid grimaces. The markings on their skin did not come from the needles of an IV; it was as if they'd been drug addicts, their legs and arms littered with tiny little holes. Horrified, Cloud lowered the light and turned away.

"... what the hell is going on?" He whispered, face as white as death. "I thought this was a hospital..." Gritting his teeth, he forced his trembling legs to move as he fought to keep his stomach down.

The room kept going on, a nightmare never ending, body after body filling the room. Some laid haphazardly across stretchers, some half zipped into body bags, others lying carelessly on the floor, broken and bleeding. It came to the point Cloud couldn't walk without stepping on something he really didn't want to think about. Bile rising in his mouth, Cloud pressed on, ready to escape the sickening place.

Finally he could see a dim light in the distance, flickering above the door to an elevator. Cloud's heart rose, and he rushed faster, eager to escape -

He would've run right into the elevator and gotten out immeidately but something caught his eye. The blond slid to a halt, almost losing his footing in a pool of blood and other grisly things.

There was a body slumped against the wall to his left, seemingly unharmed, not a scratch or gaping wound to speak of. There was blood on him, but Cloud couldn't see where it came from. Confused, and a bit intrigued, Cloud let the light onto the body.

IT traveled up longs legs, wearing boots and blue slacks tucked in... a belt with Shinra's emblem... Cloud dropped the flashlight in shock, gasping harshly.

The light remained shining on the familiar pale face, dark thick hair, the half lidded blue eyes.

"ZACK!"

* * *

Darkness, lit only be an ethereal green hue, cold and damp and quiet.

Her head hurt - why? Where was... what... slowly she blinked and let her vision adjust to the low light, limbs and back and head aching

_Wait!_

Tifa snapped up and quickly regretted it as every molecule in her wretched body throbbed in agony. Eyes half closed in pain the brunette looked up to the distant sky she'd fallen from.

"H - How did I survive...?"

Gently, she brought herself back up, each muscle burning in protest as she stood. On the outside she wasn't injured, and every bone was whole somehow.

"I'm like one giant bruise." She complained, lowering her arms and hissing at the stabs of pain.

A sobering thought came to her amidst the soreness. Exhausted eyes looked up to the miles and miles of rock above, leading the town.

"Aerith!" Tifa shouted as loudly as she could. "AERITH!" The echo bounded up the cliff face, but no response came. Clenching her fists, Tifa sighed and realized her helplessness. There was no way she could climb back up, and there was no one to go for help. She would die of starvation trapped in her stupid hometown. The irony got to her.

"I tried my whole life to escape this GOD forsaken place..." Shaking the woman reeled, ready to pull her hair free. "And now I'm gonna DIE HERE!"

_DIE HERE__._.._DIE HERE__..._

Growling, Tifa kicked the rocky wall hard, barely feeling the pain amidst her frustration. She turned to pace again but paused.

Her kick had knocked some of the rock away, and revealed a gem hidden behind it. The new rock glowed brilliant green, lighting up the dark cave.

Curious despite her doomed state, the brunette crossed the cave and knelt by the wall, hand reaching out to touch it. The touch didn't hurt - the rock was warm, almost thrumming with life.

"Mako..." Tifa frowned, hand falling away. "I'd always had my suspicions, but right here... underneath the heart of Nibelheim..."

Standing, she caught sight of a stronger glow further in the cave. Tifa glanced to the sky.

"I'm going nowhere that way.." She sighed, looking back to the entrance. Steeling her nerve, Tifa took a step forward and entered the long, dark, green tinted tunnel.

* * *

"Vincent! Vincent! ... VINCE! WHERE ARE YA!"

It might not have been the smartest decision to draw such loud attention to himself, but Cid was desperate to find his ally, - in fact, to find anyone in the maddening darkness. Anyone friendly.

_I'd rather face every piece of shit in this town down right now, than be alone in here for much longer._ Cid thought dryly. _Don't think I can take it..._

He turned a corner and his feet splashed through something he didn't want to think about - the halls of the prison were all covered in dark liquids, dank and moist air permeating everything. It smelled disgusting, and the light was so low Cid had no idea what he was walking through. He liked it that way.

The floor was cracked and shifted slightly as he walked; the ceiling creaked and moaned a dull sad tune; something in the distance was wailing like a melancholy siren; all these things Cid heard and gritted his teeth, pushing onward, refusing to look back.

Cid turned a corner and walked past a few cells -

**RATTLERATTLESHAKE**

"SHIT!" The blond leapt back, falling to the floor, into the wet nastiness, staring at the bars of the cell which had just violently broken the silence. Somehow, they had... Cid glared into the darkness. Nothing there. The cell door had started shaking by itself.

Deciding not to dwell on it, Cid stood - and saw some of the other cells on this hall were occupied.

Monstrous creatures, like those outside, were locked in some of the cells. Cid's heart jumped despite the voice in his head telling him _they can't reach you, you'll be fine_. Somewhat shaking, he moved faster down the hall, eager to get away.

"VINCENT!"

The monsters noticed him, turning their eyeless faces towards his direction, shuffling or crawling to the bars to try and reach him - he passed them fast, ignoring their blank and burning stares.

"VINCE! COME ON!"

"_H - Hello_?"

"Shi -!" Spinning around, Cid kept from falling, but still his heart leapt from his chest and his lungs seized at the tiny feminine voice that answered his call. Eyes wide, he stared into the cell it had come from, just as dark and decrepit as the rest. But wait - something was sitting in the back corner. The form shifted, moving to its knees, crawling towards the bars.

"_I - is someone there_?"

Dried lips hesitated to speak. "Y... yeah." Cid stepped closer, but not too close. The form came to stand before the bars, holding them as support. It was a lithe woman, covered head to toe in rags, hair filthy and grey, acting as a veil over her face.

"_Who are you_?"

"Me?" Cid grunted. "... name's Cid Highwind. I'm looking for a friend, name of Vincent, tall creepy lookin' guy. You seen him?"

The dirty woman slowly shook her head. "_No_."

Sighing, Cid turned to go - "_You're not looking for him_." His head snapped back.

"What're you talking about?"

She smiled behind streaked hair. "_You're looking... for Shera_."

Cid body snapped forward and he grabbed the bars just as she leapt away from them, leaning against the far wall. "You know Shera? Where is she!" But the woman was shaking her head, smiling growing to a grin.

"_You can't find Shera. No one can. She's gone away._"

"Gone... away? What are you talking about!" Rattling the bars, Cid felt his ire coming on as the beguiling stranger gave no answers. He'd finally found a clue and it was becoming a dead end. Biting his lip, Cid shook the bars hard. "COME ON!"

Then she laughed. Shocked out of his anger temporarily, he watched the woman raise slowly her delicate hand, until a long finger was pointed at him.

"_She's gone away. You made her leave. It's all your fault_."

"My fault - what!" Back to confusion and growing rage, Cid gripped the bars until his fingers were white. "Stop fucking talking in riddles and circles!"

Yet she was still saying that same thing, under her breath, over and over. The woman began sliding to the floor again, still whispering, head lowered. "_Shera's gone... she's gone away... gone away... you made her go away..._" When she was again on the floor, she placed her head on her knees, her arms around her head, and fell completely silent.

Cid stared in disbelief, before rattling the cage one last time. But he knew there was no more to get from the frustrating prisoner, so he let go and leant away, looking down the hall.

"Shera, where are you?" He muttered. "Vincent? Shera?" He began to move. "VINCE! SHERA! WHERE ARE YOU!"

On the call echoed through empty prison halls and vacant cells, through darkness and hell, unheard by human ears.

But it was heard.

* * *

He couldn't believe - could hardly trust his eyes. Trembling hands touched cold limbs as his knees hit the floor.

Zack Fair; right before him, lying in a heap in a bloody morg - _morgue_.

Cloud's eyes flew open and he leapt for Zack. "No!" His hand flew to the wrist, frantically checking for a pulse, for a sign - but where? Where to check? Where was -

There.

A huge heaving sigh of thanks at the slow _badum_ echoing in his friend's veins. Still, Zack didn't look very good. Cloud placed a hand against his clammy forehead.

"What the hell are you doing down here, buddy?"

The hand fell to the other's shoulder, before Cloud leaned back and glanced about. The elevator doors were still open and waiting for them.

So, Cloud turned and took hold of Zack's arm, preparing to pull him onto his back.

"Time to get you out of here."

* * *

Tifa had never been claustrophobic, but this was pushing it. The further into the cave she went, the smaller the tunnel got, until she was crawling on her belly like a serpent. Huffing, the woman ducked her head around a low rocked and continued moving. A voice in her head whispered danger; perhaps the opening would simply shrink and shrink until she was crushed, or couldn't move and died of suffocation.

Not soon after, her worries were assayed by the tunnel finally widening and brightening with green light. A few more feet and she could stand, relieving her poor limbs of the strain.

"I don't ever want to do that again." And she hoped she wouldn't have to.

Standing within the cave, Tifa's tired eyes scanned the dark scenery, squinting. There was a dull glow, but it was dimmer here than the previous areas of the cave. Walking carefully through the space with a hand on the nearest wall, the brunette attempted to search for... something.

Nerves rose in the woman's chest as distant, queer sounds, unnatural and metallic in the rocky realm, echoed all around.

"H - Hello?" No reply but her own.

The ground began to slope, almost tumbling her down into darkness, though it did scratch up the back of her legs. Cursing, Tifa ceased her motions - breathed in and out, tried to slow her heart, tried to forget the thousands of tons of rock above her head. Nothing about this situation was comfortable, but there was no going back - and perhaps, no going forward. Perhaps it would simply end in shadow and cold and she'd die alone, underground -

_Don't think about that_.

Sighing, Tifa shook her head and began to move, ignoring how her limbs trembled, delving deeper into the dark.

How many hours passed? Or even days? Time became effervescent and illusionary, fading into dream as the bits of light vanished into the distance. Warmth flooded the small tunnel, sweat pouring down her body, fusing her shirt to her chest, sticking dirt and grime on her skin.

Down... down... down... further from light, from the world of her birth, from passing fancies and day dreams...

How much deeper could it go?

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Was the center of the earth down her? Maybe Tifa would find God down here and that's how she'd die - seeing the brilliance of something otherworldly in the fires of the planet. Or maybe she'd tumble into hell, she was going so deep, find herself trapped in eternal damnation. If she wasn't already there.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Chapped lips, skin burning, bruises aching and cuts hissing in agony as the salt of her sweat poured over them. What she could see was now faded and tripled by lying eyes. On the edge, teetering on weak limbs, staring down into the proverbial abyss, Tifa moved slowly onward.

Finally her limbs shook and gave in and she collapsed to the ground, hissing as her poor, bruised body hit the earth. All tension released as she fell, relinquishing herself to the darkness and the death it kept for her.

Eyes half lidded watched colors dance in the air, limbs failing to feel as the mind drifted away...

"Huh... ... hu..."

"Hah... ... ah..."

Surrounded... surrounded... ... surrounded...

"_We're surrounded!"_

_Glance back, around, panting in the heat. "Oh - Oh god!" Everything burning. Every house, every store, everything she'd ever known. Fire surrounded them on all sides, choking them, and Jimmy had asthma, and her friends would die if she didn't do something -_

"_Tifa! What do we do? Tifa!"_

_Roof cracking, crumbling, and she raced across burnt floors, looking for hope, for an escape somewhere, and out the window - the window - _

_out the window was Cloud. Why was he standing there? Just staring? Only watching as his fellows, his classmates, faced death in the choking heat of the school house? Why was -?_

"_Cloud!"_

_Emotionless. Expressionless. Standing in the shadows of the road beneath the ever growing smoke clouds, beneath the fire as if it were nothing._

"_Cloud!"_

_And he turned and left them to their fate._

"_Cloud!"_

"_CLOUD!"_

_Left them to their fate..._

_

* * *

_

The elevator made Cloud extremely uneasy - it creaked and shifted, the light flashed on and off repeatedly, and as it moved, it ground against the walls and made a horrific screech, so loud Cloud was surprised Zack hadn't woken. All in all it did not seem safe, but it was the only way up so Cloud took it.

The lights of the blood stained floor panel flashed dimly, showing they were traveling up past the third basement... past the second basement... Cloud hadn't picked a floor; when he'd walked in, the doors slammed shut and the thing started moving on its own.

_Gave me a heart attack_, Cloud sighed as the elevator went on past the first basement.

His tired eyes fell down to the relaxed form of his friend, head lolling onto his shoulder. Cloud gave a soft smile of relief. "One down, one to go, right Zack?" Of course he didn't reply, but Cloud just felt happier not to be alone, unconscious or not.

They passed the first floor...

All his bones and muscles ached, but Cloud felt comforted by the fact he'd - they'd - be able to go soon. He'd already seen Aerith around... he just had to find her one last time, and they could go home together. And of course it would be easier with Zack around; he always knew what to do. Concerned eyes flitted back to the brunet.

"I hope you wake up soon, buddy," Cloud sighed. "I could use the help."

They passed the second floor...

Cloud gripped Zack's hand tight with his own sweaty palm, nerves and fears rising in his gut. Could he protect them both? Would they make it to Aerith? Would they even make it out of the hospital?

The elevator screeched to a grinding halt on the third floor.

Cloud and Zack both tumbled forward by the sudden move, though Cloud managed to steady them, grabbing Zack's arm. He hoisted himself and the other up, turning to watch the dark, rust tinged doors reveal the madness of the world behind.

The began opening, creaking slowly apart, until one caught halfway. The other opening fully - Cloud managed to pull them both through sideways, and as soon as both had completely escaped, the jaws snapped shut, and within the elevator could be heard screeching again, plummeting to some unknown depth. Cloud shivered to think they'd just been standing on it.

His eyes scanned the new locale - just as dirty, bloody, gut wrenchingly ruined as the rest - trails of blood and other filthy liquids dotted the floor, rusted covered the floors and the wallpaper was peeled and wet, the walls turned brown and revolting. But something about this floor flicked a light in Cloud's head... something...

The third floor!

Grinning, Cloud realized he'd gotten to his destination by some miraculous twist of fate, pulling Zack higher onto his back. Now he just had to find the doctor's office, get the key, and set Kadaj free. _ Easier said than done_.

Each of the doors they passed had a plaque on it - each looked like a doctor's office. Huffing, Cloud realized they were all doctor's offices and he would have to explore each one.

The first door knob was broken so he left that room unexplored. The second door was already partly open, so he stepped in.

To the right when he entered was a chair, which he placed Zack's body in carefully. Then he turned his eyes to the room. Dust and grime covered everything, and the only lit was a dim lamp in the far corner, by the desk. Paperwork covered the floor, sticking due to all the blood, so that the white was tinged reddish pink. Cloud stepped lightly, moving towards the desk, keeping his eyes peeled for a key.

He searched each drawer, and then all the shelves in the room. No luck. Sighing, he heaved Zack back up and moved to the next room. This process repeated multiple times, in rooms that looked almost identical, each time with the same result. By the time Cloud had searched his fifth office he was getting slightly irritated. Stalking the hallway with his heavy burden, he looked for another door that would open -

_Skrrrrcchh_

and found the next office was boarded up. The door after that -

_Skrrrrcchh_

the lock was broken. Beginning to feel hopeless, Cloud tried the next -

_Skrrrrcchh_

it opened, and he dove inside, shutting the door behind them.

This office actually looked different from the others, which gave Cloud hope for finding the key. He set Zack on a lounge chair in the corner and began his search, examining the shelves nearby for the key. Haphazardly shoving journals and notebooks to the floor, he scoured the shelfs in a frenzy, and found nothing. His eyes turned to the desk next.

A candle lit this desk, the tiny flame dancing weakly in the enveloping darkness. Stacks of books and paper sat by and on the desk, turned grey by time. Cloud stepped reverently by what used to be someone's workplace, hand trailing over the top. There was a small drawer in the center - when opened, it revealed old pens and pads of paper, but no keys. A thorough search of the whole desk revealed nothing.

Desperation set in - Cloud fell to his knees on the floor, letting his head bump against the desk. Where the hell could it be? He could never leave Kadaj behind here, in this hellhole, and he needed the key to set him free. Gritting his teeth, Cloud tried to steel his nerve, but questions kept rising. What if its gone? What if he never found it -?

A big shake hit the room suddenly, bookshelves rattling, contents falling to the floor, Cloud falling back on his butt as a mini earthquake hit. It passed in a second, more shocking than dangerous, as Cloud blinked and wondered _What the hell was that?_ -

"Ahhrgh. ... My head..."

His heart stopped.

Shuffle. Scrap, stumble. "Damn... where am I now?"

Now his heart was alive and beating frantically, so loud Cloud knew Zack had to be able to hear it. He could not be seen, crouching behind the desk, as Zack stood in the (not really) vacant room. A grin grew on his face.

"Ugh... now what?" A huff.

Cloud leapt out from behind the desk with such speed as to rival a professional runner, beelining through the room to Zack, who had simply seen something coming at him and raised his fists, but now eyes were widening in shock, his guard lowering, as Cloud barreled at him.

"ZACK!"

"C - Cloud!"

They tumbled together and, Zack weak as he was, they both fell to the floor, Cloud grasping his friend tightly as the elder sputtered and tried to make sense of his sudden appearance. But in an instant he was hugging back, happy as well, though perhaps not as happy as Cloud, who had tears pouring down his face. Zack noticed the tears and was shocked.

"Cloud? You..." But the blond just clasped him tighter, on the verge of sobbing, but trying his best to calm down.

"S - Sorry, I - I'm just -" Then a gasp of air interrupted his speech and he did begin to sob, as Zack began steadying them both back into an upright position. When he looked up, Cloud saw those familiar, understanding blue eyes were trying to comfort him, a small smile on his friend's lips.

"What's the matter?" Zack asked, not bothering to ask where they were, how they got there, or how Cloud found him. The younger gave a small laugh.

"You - just the s - same as always." He hiccuped. "'Heart before your head', as Sephiroth used to say."

_Wow_, Cloud pondered inwardly. _I actually said his name without freaking out. Though I guess I'm already crying so that's out._

A calming hand came onto his shoulder, as Cloud leaned away. "What happened, buddy?" Zack asked. "What's with the water works?"

It took a moment to say the words, despite now knowing they weren't true - it still hurt to think of, to remember. "... you were dead." Zack's eyes widened a fraction but he stayed silent. "It was in all the papers. You and Aerith died in a car crash. Months ago. A - and I -" Concerned, brow furrowed, Zack put an arm around Cloud and pulled him to his shoulder as the tears started again, not caring about how foolish Cloud felt he was being.

"Y - you were dead... oh god..." Cloud didn't fight it because he knew that was a battle he wouldn't win. It took a few minutes, but eventually he was calm and feeling better, and Zack was back to grinning broadly.

"You all right?"

Cloud nodded as they both moved to stand. "I'm all right." He gave a small chuckle because it was true, he was all right, despite everything. Despite the hell awaiting them outside, despite the pain all across his body, and the suffering in his mind, he was all right. Zack was here, so it would be okay.

The brunet looked pleased, hands on his hips, and he nodded. "So, then, how'd you come here? How'd you find me?"

A little confused, Cloud answered. "The letter you sent. It told me to come here." It was Zack's turn to look confused.

"Letter?"

"Yeah," Cloud nodded. "I got it a few days ago. You know..." As Zack's frown deepened, Cloud felt a sense of dread flood him. "You told me you and Aerith came here. That I should come find you if... anything happened." Now Zack was slowly shaking his head, and the bad feeling was becoming worse.

"No I didn't." He muttered quietly.

"You -?"

"I didn't send you a letter Cloud." Zack whispered, glancing back at the door. When he turned back, two pairs of eyes hardened in realization and fear, and both men knew they were in for it. "Someone wanted you here Cloud, and it wasn't me."

The blond slowly nodded. "I think you're right." He clenched his fists, glancing towards the door. Apprehension rose in him but he pushed it down. "We have to keep moving." Zack nodded, but his stern expression was broken by a smile.

"Hey, it's not all bad. We're both better off fighting together." He gave a thumbs up and grinned, and Cloud couldn't help but smile back and nod.

"You're probably right." The brunet laughed and patted his shoulder, still grinning.

"Of course I'm right. I'm _always_ right!" They shared the laugh this time, and Cloud felt some of his stress and worry leave him.

"No, you're definitely not."

"Sure I am!"

With strengthened hearts and spirits, and a bit of camaraderie, the two carefully stepped out into the darkness, enjoying each's others company as best they could in the hellhole they were trapped in. They would take what little glimmers of light they could, for both knew that the peace wouldn't last long.

* * *

Tifa awoke to a warm green light.

She was still in the cave, but not in the part of the cave she remembered falling in. Her memory was fuzzy, but still she knew this area was not the same. Groaning, the brunette sat up slowly, her head still fuzzy, as she tried to make sense of her location.

It was a huge cavern, lit up bright, the source come from a large green crystal in the center. All the walls were covered in the crystal, some even jutted from the ceiling and floor. Tifa, still woozy, was careful to walk around them as she stood and explored.

The large crystal, of course, held her attention, drew her like a moth to a flame. Eyes narrowing to avoid the bright light, she stepped closer, somewhat wary, but mostly curious.

She drew closer and had to shield her eyes, but once she was in close enough, the bright glare faded and she could see. Arm lowered, she stood a foot away from the rock and peered inside -

and someone peered out at her.

"What the-!" Leaping back, the woman stared wide eyed at the thing trapped in the rock, eyes blank and half open, arms wrapped around its naked chest. It was a woman, she realized upon closer inspection, a completely naked woman whose skin was a deep blue. Horrified, Tifa ran closer, trying to look within, trying to tell if she was alive in there, or if she was a crystallized corpse. Hand on the rock, she stared as the body stared back, a feeling deep in her gut telling her that the woman wasn't quite dead.

Her skin had a strange complexion, her hair an odd color and texture. She looked like no human Tifa had ever seen. Eyes lidded, head inclined forward, arms crossed over her chest, she looked the part of a repenting sinner, mourning past deeds. Tifa's other hand came up to the crystal slowly, as she leaned as close as she could to her.

"What are you?" She whispered quietly, her voice echoing in the darkness. "... who are you?"

SUDDEN PAIN - violent shaking - eletric shocks - visions visions visions - (_people are shouting and the ground is shaking, vrrm vrrm vrrm of their machines_) - visions of white - (_we have made a tremendous breakthrough_) - a child of white -

Tifa opened her eyes and everything was different. The bright light of the green rocks had faded to a dull color, and the rock that had held the woman was smashed in. Torn apart, the top half completely gone, it looked like someone had taken a bunch of jack hammers to it.

_In fact, I think that is what happened... _Tifa stood, realizing that the sudden and violent images that had attacked her had probably been scenes of what once occurred in this cave. Tifa looked into the crystal - the woman was gone.

In her place was a document, old and frayed. Tifa reached out and gently picked it up, pulling it very close to her face so she could read it. It was still hard, so she moved close to one of the brighter rocks.

_Our venture has finally proven successful as we found the subject fifty feet beneath the town, right under the mansion where Prof. Hojo has set up his facilities. Removing her without alerting the citizens has been a chore; we managed to get her out safely by digging a tunnel from her location, up to the mansion. An elevator was built in the tunnel, so now the scientists may come to the cave for their research at any time._

_The subject is now in the mansion, in his care, and my part of this expedition is over._

_What I have accomplished I don't know. Shinra says little about the woman, in fact, I'm not supposed to know her or speak of her. I'm sure that if I so much as mention her I'll lose more than my job. Retirement is starting to look better by the day..._

There was no name, but where there was more to read, the paper was soaked through by thick, crimson blood. Tifa dropped the note, a dark twist of her gut telling her the unknown man likely never made it to his retirement.

Hope invaded Tifa's breast - somewhere ahead there was an elevator that would get her out of the cavernous prison she'd fallen into. Renewed by that hope, Tifa pressed forward, troubled by what she'd seen, and more confused than she'd been before.

* * *

No one. Cid had been wandering the prison for hours and still no one. He cursed, came to a stop. Both his legs burned badly, thighs aching, but he couldn't stop long. He had to find Vincent, he had to find Shera, hell, he had to find anybody he could who might have survived the crash. He wasn't sure who that would be, but maybe someone was still alive, somewhere... he would save who he could.

As he began walked again, feet splashing through water, he turned a corner and found himself on a long hallway. To the left was a large pair of double doors, grey and stained. Cid glanced at them somewhat apprehensively, but he put his hand on the handle anyway. Something about it put him on edge... but he couldn't leave anyplace unchecked. What if someone was back there?

So, nervous heart fluttering in his chest, he pushed the doors open, and strode through.

The pilot had entered a large courtyard, spanning half the prison, and it had seen better days. From the stairs that Cid stood atop of, he could see a giant hole in the center of the courtyard. The ground around the whole was broken up, pulled down and sloping, as if something had reached up from the darkness and tried to pull the world down.

Suspended in air in the center of this enormous gap was the gallows.

His stomach clenched at the sight of the wooden stand, with the bar across the top, but no ropes hung from it. He shuddered and forced himself to move towards it, hating the sight of it.

The ground of the courtyard was blood soaked, with a layer of fog hanging over everything. Cid had to be careful where he walked, for the fog was so thick he could hardly tell if he was about to drop into a hole. Still, he inched closer carefully, closer and closer...

THUNK.

Cid's head flew up, eyes flying across the gallows for a flash - a noose had suddenly appeared, hanging from the bar. Shaken, Cid grunted and turned back to his careful movings.

THUNK.

He ignored that one, still moving as slowly and carefully as he could. Finally he came to the edge of the cliff and could go no further, staring down into never ending darkness with a sickened stomach.

When Cid lifted his head, someone was standing on the gallows.

Cid jumped, scampering to keep from falling forward into the abyss - opened mouthed he stared at the woman who now stood there, brown hair pulled back, glasses over her dull eyes. She looked like she was in a trance, standing there with no emotion on her face. Cid's face colored red and he rushed forward, moving towards the center of the courtyard, as close to the gallows as he could be.

"Shera!" He had found her. He had found her! A grin came upon his face. "Hell yes, SHERA!" He shouted again but there was no response. "Come on, can't you hear me! I'm right here!"

But she did nothing. The grin on Cid's face faltered. "Shera! It's me, Cid!"

Nothing. She just stood there. Then her leg moved, and she took a step forward. Confused, Cid watched as she took another one. His eyes darted around, thoughts flying through his head -_ why is she standing up there? What the hell's she doing?_

"SHERA! Listen to me!"

Another step.

"What the hell's gotten into you!"

One more step, then - her hands reached up and took hold of the noose.

A lightning bolt of fear and realization struck Cid's heart as he began to pant for breath, hyperventilating and fearful and confused. "Shera, what're you... Shera!"

She moved again, placing her neck closer to the rope. "SHERA! Fuck, what the HELL are you doing! SHERA!"

With delicate steps, the woman stepped into the noose. Cid's heart thumped in his ears, sweat coating his hands and his forehead - "SHERAAA!" He couldn't reach her, he could never jump the gap, what the hell was going on -

hhhhhHHHHMMMMMmmmmmmm

"SHERA!"

Her hands moved behind her head to the knot, tightening and pulling, as the alarm began to blare and the darkness and rust began to melt away, back to the "normal" world of fog and shadow -

"SHERRAAA!"

He couldn't just stand there, he couldn't just watch her die, he had to do something, had to jump the gap, backing up farther and farther through the fog as the world melted, further and further, until he turned and he was running, barreling through the world, as all the light dimmed - the pit was being remade, the ground appearing out of thing air, as the world reformed and Cid was running, and he came to the edge, he leapt -

Shera's hands came down, and she stood with the noose around her neck, not noticing as Cid leapt for her, unable to reach, not even coming close to the edge of the gallows - he began to fall towards the darkness below -

The platform came out from beneath her feet.

"SHERRRRRAAAAAA!"

And the world turned to dark as the transition from nightmare to normal finished.

...

...

Cid awoke suddenly and violently. "SHERA!" He leapt to his feet, eyes flying around, heart pounding. He turned to face the gallows, and saw the rope was gone, Shera was gone. The hole in the ground was gone, so he raced around them to the other side, looking for her and desperately hoping he didn't find Shera dea -

There was no rope, there was no body - but the platform was hanging open below, and beneath the hole in the gallows, a message was written in blood.

**THE ONE TO HANG SHOULD BE YOU.**

* * *

Somewhere in the town, or perhaps in a place below it, there was a room. There were no windows to this room, and no doors - only a small grate in the center of the ceiling, above which was a long drop from another room. The distance was too far to let much light in.

The room itself was almost completely empty. There were a few books tossed aside on the ground, grungy and old. There was something that could be called a bed, but hardly was more than a tiny mattress on a rusted frame. Papers and documents covered the floor.

Sitting on the ground was a young boy in a white hospital gown. He was tall for his age, lithe and almost too thin, curled up with his arms around his knees and his head on his legs. Long hair covered his face on all sides.

The little bit of light in the room flickered - in the boy's place was a man, bare skinned, muscular, and covered in red - but when the light flickered again the boy was back. He never moved, only remained waiting in the darkness.

Out of the air a young girl in a pink dress appeared. She crossed the room, came to kneel beside the poor boy. He did not move, did not look at her as she placed a hand on his shoulder. As soon as the girl touched him, she disappeared.

As if she never existed at all.

* * *

Author's note

I don't know how often I'll be able to update in the future - my family is moving into a new house and things are hectic. But I hope this chapter was interesting enough to keep you guys satisfied for a while. I'll do my best to update soon.

Two new characters were introduced in this chapter very vaguely - you probably realized one of them, but the other I doubt you caught on to - two characters who I think everyone will be happy to see entering the story. Next time, both of them will actually have roles in the story. Excitement!

Till then,

Sulhadahne


	9. a hopeful turn

**Final Hell**

...

chapter nine

...

a hopeful turn

...

...

.

It was a long and morbid telling, but Cloud relayed to Zack everything that had happened in the past few months as they wandered the third floor, searching for the key. Their only clue was that it was in a doctor's office... and this floor seemed to be house every doctor's office in the building.

By the time Cloud had finished his tale, they had searched two hallways to no end, and his older friend was clearly unhappy. There was a darkness that almost never showed in his eyes, a shadow behind his words he attempted to keep hidden. But Cloud could hear it - the unsaid words, the knowledge he did not share. It bugged him, but he didn't push it. He'd just gotten him back, he didn't want to lose Zack again.

"What about you?" Cloud finally asked as Zack messed with another locked door, jiggling the handle, kicking the bottom. The blond flinched at the noise. "Kept quiet! We don't wanna -"

Scrrrch.

Both men froze, eyes widening, the metallic sound echoing through the hall. They waited as if their doom had come on them, Cloud's eyes falling shut as he instinctively began to pray, lips moving without sound. But as the seconds past and nothing happened, no other sound came, both heaved quiet sighs of relief.

When Cloud opened his eyes and glared at his friend, Zack had the audacity to look innocent. He cleared his throat and let go of the doorknob.

"Uh, yeah, me." They started walking again; his chipper mood was somehow still in place, an almost unending optimism that kept Zack eternally cheerful. "How I got here... " A frown settled on his lips. "Huh..."

"What is it?"

Glancing at the younger, Zack tried to give one of his bright smiles. "Nothin', just..." But the frown came back through. "I can't... there's some holes. I know I followed Aerith here... there's - did we come together?"

He halted, a hand coming to his chin, and Cloud stopped a foot ahead. The brunet began pacing, fighting to recover the lost time.

"I saw her here - I remember following her down the road. But why was she running? She wouldn't have left me - and I remember the monsters. There was a little girl too, but she ran off... and... and fire." A light of realization seemed to fill his eyes as they settled on Cloud's. The blond waited eagerly to hear whatever it was Zack had remembered, but the explanation was hardly enough. "He showed me the fire."

The blond blinked. "'He'...? Who is 'he'?"

SCRRRRCH.

Both jumped, spinning towards the direction of the god-awful screech - nothing was there that they could see, but Cloud's heart was still thundering a drum tempo in his veins - frightened blue eyes turned to disturbed, darker ones, as Zack seemed to sober.

"Doesn't matter now. Something's here that doesn't want us to be -" He looked forward to the path, all determination and drive, and strode forward as a warrior. "Come on!" He began to jog, and Cloud followed, not quite understanding and very upset - torn between fear of this new unnamed foe, and confusion at being left in the dark.

"What? But Zack, wait -" The elder turned a corner and Cloud hastened to follow, his fear tripling in that brief instant where Zack could no longer be seen. His worries lessened considerably when the large form of his friend was in sight again. "What's going on? What do you know!"

But the soldier's eyes merely thinned, darkened by knowledge and by some inner conflict, Cloud's words not penetrating the fog of thoughts in his head. "The fire..." He muttered, scanning the hall and running past everything. "Where did it start...?"

On they ran, led by instinct, racing from the things that go bump in the night.

* * *

Kadaj cradled his wound, sitting on the edge of the bed. His hair was newly bloody, as he leaned forward, bangs hiding his eyes, whole body trembling in fear of the entity that was in the room with him.

"What was I to do...?" He whispered, and then flinched as if he'd been yelled at. "I didn't know! I didn't know!" Hair flying, he whipped his head up, green eyes blazing. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!"

But then he fell back again, falling onto the bed and convulsing, mouth wide open as if to scream but only choked sobs and groans half made could escape. "S - St - gh -"

It ended and he gave a cry, body lying boneless on the mattress, wide eyes staring in horror at the fiend. He gave a half-hearted shake of his head and a soft cry of "No..." but he could do nothing to stop it as it moved towards him...

* * *

The cave began to slant upwards, which was a good sign to Tifa.

It was still dark, though now and then green crystal lit the path, and the woman was so drained she was half leaning on the rock wall to move. It was hardly an easy or fun trip, but she was eager to do it - the sooner she was out from under the ground, she felt, the better.

Eventually she came to her destination: a rusty, decrepit entrance to the elevator. It looked like something from a mine. An enormous steel double door guarded the entrance, making it about ten feet wide, and when it opened, the inside was covered in grates (blood laden grates) and lit only by a small, dim lantern sitting in the back corner.

Tifa eyed it suspiciously, fearfully. There was nothing about it that seemed safe. Slowly, she glanced behind her, and then ahead, giving a soft sigh and steeling herself for what she had to do. There was no going back. Despite the cell like appearance, the uncomfortable metal that smelt like copper, Tifa stepped in. Slowly she walked on the platform, her steps echoing with a CLANG, CLANG, CLANG. The whole thing shook as she moved, which sent jitters down her spine and made her stomach clench. This was not promising. Nervous, she knelt and grabbed the lantern, gripping it tightly as if it would save her from the world.

She leant against the back wall, out of breath, wide eyes glancing around for a way to start it. There it was - a lever on the left side. She was just about to step forward to it when she quickly realized there was nothing there to support her foot. Her balance wavered as she threw herself back, out of harms way, falling hard on the metal criss-cross and shaking the whole thing dangerously. Cussing loudly, Tifa sat up and lifted the lantern.

There was a hole in the back corner of the elevator, as large as a human being, where the metal was twisted and torn as if something had broken it manually - not with a tool, or a hammer, but with applied force. Blood truly soaked everything here, and the way the metal was bent was as if something had fought it's way through - and not from within, but without.

Newly terrified, Tifa glanced about outside, seeing only darkness, and hearing nothing but eerie ringing in her ears. Her heart began to pound as she stood, leaning forward to look down out of the hole. Nothing, nothing there - not anymore.

"Oh god -" She began to murmur but caught herself. Sound was not her friend. So, quietly, she set the lantern down, and grabbed hold of the back wall, careful not to put her fingers through the holes in the metal grid.

Tifa nervously leaned forward towards the lever, her eyes constantly glancing down at the hole beneath her, at the edges that would skewer her skin, at the weakness that would allow entry from below, at the inhuman feat of strength that meant she wasn't alone - and whatever was with her was more than ordinary.

Trembling fingers found cold steel, and at first she jumped at the touch; again the elevator wavered, but Tifa caught herself, and then wrapped her hand around the lever. With some force, she pushed it down, and then leaned away from the hole, gasping in relief.

Nothing happened. Looking up at the ceiling, Tifa felt her hope plummet. What if it was broken? What if the power was gone? Did it still work? Just as her last glimmer of light began to fade, a whirring sound renewed her hope, and she gave a stifled sob as she sunk to the floor. WHRRRR - CLICK - VRRRMMM - and up it moved with an even, slow pace, passing the entrance to the cave in an instant. Tears streamed down Tifa's bloody, dirty face, turning dark by the time they reached her chin.

VRRRRRRRRRRMMMMM - CLICK.

It stopped. Tifa opened her eyes, shocked that the trip was so short. Surely they weren't at the surface yet?

CLICK - WHRRR - CLICK.

And then the floor fell out beneath her as if it had vanished, but the horrific realization hit her quick as the elevator fell, faster and faster, almost leaving her hanging in midair -

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Plummeting, plummeting, past the cave entrance, down into shadow, beyond all light as the lantern shattered against something and glass flew into her skin, into her gaping mouth -

"AAAAAAAAHOHHGODHEELPMEEEEEEE!"

- the screech of metal against metal as the speeding contraption scratched hard against the walls, sparks of fire scalding her skin, flying everywhere, the only light in the darkness

SCCCCCCREEEEEEEEEECH - "OHGODOHGODOHGOOOOOOOD!"

Were the flaps of wings without her? The screams of twisted, pained things? Something - someone - beating against her cage, metal racket rising over her screaming, something crying out in pain, thousands of somethings, the screams of the dying burning alive - hands groping in the dark -

"LETGOOFME! OOOOOHGOOODNOOOO!"

She thrashed and kicked but their slimy hands and fingers slipped through the walls, clasped her arms and gripped her hair, pulling her out with them, trying to rip her through the walls, whispered in her ears, _You should have died with us, you should have died -_

It was free falling and her voice had gone hoarse, blood filling her mouth from the shards of glass stuck within her cheeks, burning like hell, and still the limbs groped, and the elevator fell, and the fire never stopped burning -

BOOOOM_ - shudder shudder shudder _-

It hit the ground and she was dead, body broken by gravity, corpse taken to join the burnt and vengeful dead.

...

Tifa awoke with a scream, hands flying to her mouth as no sound came out. Hyperventilating, looking about at the world with teary eyes as if it didn't exist, the woman began to sob, shaking uncontrollably, curling in on herself.

A dream, a dream, all of it was a dream. Except she couldn't speak, and the insides of her mouth ached like nothing else - and bruises littered her arms, bruises in the shapes of hands, her scalp ached - tears flooded her face as Tifa broke down and cried, unconcerned with where she was, or why. For all she cared, she could die and be unmoved - for what worse could happen? She was already in hell.

* * *

Cid had wandered the prison for what seemed like hours, still unable to find anyone - not a soul was within. Dreary, wounded eyes scanned cell after cell, but everyone was gone. He was alone. The darkness grew darker, the silence grew quieter, and slowly but surely his mind began to morph into a tragic mess of remorse.

After what seemed like hours, Cid found a cell with an open door. He looked up, eyes vacant of expression, scanning the inside. It looked like all the others. Slowly he stepped towards it, wondering what might be within. Perhaps this one was important - perhaps this one would hold the clue he needed -

CLANG.

Cid spun around to see the door had shut behind him; immediately he leapt on it and tried to force it open, but it was already locked. He shook the bars, he kicked it and rattled it, and gave an echoing shout of rage, but to no avail. He was a prisoner now, though why and how he could not say.

Haggardly he drew in breath, rage clouding his vision, and only when he fell quiet did he hear the click-click of high heels on the floor. His head snapped up - Shera? - but that was not who he saw.

It was someone who looked remarkably like her, but he knew it wasn't Shera. In fact, it looked like - looked like -

"Hello again," The impostor smirked, crossing her arms, and Cid realized this was the person on the gallows, not Shera, not his Shera -

"Who the hell are you?" He murmured, suddenly angry again because this person had taunted him with something unconceivable, a blow too personal to be tolerated. She said nothing, simply continued to smirk in that infuriating way. Cid felt his heartbeat rising, red coloring his face.

Finally this woman spoke. "You aren't a very good man, are you?" The words took him by surprise - and angered him further. "Easy to anger, easy to annoy. Not one for decorum or mincing words. Blunt like a dull ax - and just as useless."

He rattled the bars, trying to lean towards her as if it might assuage him. "I said, who are you!"

"There you go," She chuckled. "Predictable. No wonder Shera left you."

Those words shocked him out of his anger - his eyes narrowed suspiciously, his grip on the bars tightening. He said nothing, realizing his questions would not be answered, and examined her further.

She was taller than Shera - dressed similarly, in a knee length lab coat and high heels - but Shera always wore short, unassuming shoes, black and elegantly simple. This woman's heels were taller, and a bold red. Long hair was pulled into a high, tight ponytail (while Shera's almost rested loosely on her neck), and thin framed, red glasses lined her eyes.

This was not Shera at all.

"Where's Shera?" He asked quietly, trying to reign in his rage. "Have you seen her? Do you know anything?" It was boiling just beneath the surface, but he was managing just barely to keep it under.

That stopped when she laughed, high and shrill. "Why, Mr. Highwind -" The laughing stopped and she grinned at him, an expression completely predatorily and lacking of humanity or happiness. "Pretense does not become you. We both know where Shera is."

Heat thrummed beneath his skin and his hands were pale from how hard he gripped the steel. "Stop toying with me and tell me!"

Still she grinned, and nodded. "All right. I'll tell you." Slowly she came closer, towards the bars, near enough to hurt. Cid held himself back. The woman came closer to the bars, her lips near Cid's face. "Shera... is... six - feet - under."

The woman snapped back as Cid gave an echoing growl and a shout, thrashing at the bars in his rage as she just laughed and laughed. "SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU LYING BITCH!"

"I'm not lying, Mr. Highwind, and we both know it! Shera's dead!" She began to scream joyously, as if she had the greatest news to tell, dancing just out of reach of his hands. "She's dead and you killed her!"

Suddenly she was quiet again, and a strange glint in her eyes warned Cid of something impending. His rage quieted for just a moment, recognizing the dangerous look she had, and for just a moment, he was actually scared.

"Don't you remember?" She whispered quietly, body posed as if she was slightly off balance on her heels. The woman wavered back and forth as she walked towards him, completely in control, though seemingly losing strength. "Back home, in Rocket Town... you saw them... you saw her with him and you couldn't believe it..."

A cold chill came over the pilot, eyes widening. What... what... he knew what she was beginning to imply but that couldn't be... yet he could see it - the dark light of the night street, lamps barely illuminating the love of his life beside a tall stranger, laughing and holding hands...

"Your trust and your love trampled for some younger, finer thing? A rich business man from Midgar who'd never worked a hard day in his life? How dare she - how dare she turn her back on you, the man who'd cared for her for so long, fed her, clothed her, took her in, gave her a job -"

He remembered - he'd been on his way home from the bar after a late night, already pissed from drink and pissed from the fight he'd had in the bar - one that he was now being forced to pay, being blamed for by those spineless assholes - and then the familiar laughter, mixed with someone else's - a man's - how could she - how _dare_ she -

the rest was a blur.

"Don't remember, do you? Did guilt block it out of your head?" The Shera-look alike giggled and Cid found his anger again - but it was a blade dulled by sorrow, by shame. He had done something... done... "It was your fault. You attacked her. You attacked the both of them with that bottle in your hand, stabbed their flesh with shards of glass again and again until they were bleeding out on the street -"

"No," He whispered, but it sounded less like a negative reply, and more a desperate cry of denial. It couldn't be, it couldn't be.

"Yes," She whispered, coming close again. "They both died, and you killed them."

The anger was gone - and Cid had no more he could say.

* * *

Zack and Cloud were still running, without stop - turning corners in a seemingly random fashion, going on and on through an endless maze. Cloud's breath came in heavy huffs, but Zack was unfazed, hardly tried from their marathon. On they went, no words passing between them, until Zack finally slid to a halt in front of a seemingly ordinary door.

Cloud fell against the wall near it, gasping for air, his head just beside the plate that named the owner of the office. Curious, he turned his tired head towards it, his breath momentarily fogging the plate. Funny; he hadn't realized the hall had gotten so cold.

Once the fog clear, he saw it: _Prof. Hojo, Director of Genetics Research_

Rage colored his eyes red, fury sweeping through his whole body from reading that one name - coming out of nowhere, and for no reason. Cloud didn't know anyone by that name. He'd never even met a "Prof" before. Why was he so angry?

Zack tried to knob, and to his relief, it opened easily. Then he glanced at Cloud, and his eyes widened to see such unadultered rage on the younger's face.

"Cloud?" The blond's eyes snapped up, and suddenly the anger was gone. "You okay?"

He gave a quick, shaky nod. "Y - Yeah. Fine." In fact, he was disturbed, and confused - but there was no need to say that. Zack took his word, realizing there was more to it, but to tired to press. He turned to the door, eyes dark, and turned the handle.

It swung in, revealing a dark, unlit room. Cloud glanced around the door frame and could see nothing, despite the light in the hall, but Zack seemed to have a victorious smile on his face.

"This is it," He murmured. "This is where it started."

Cloud glanced up. "What started?"

His friend returned the gaze, eyes darkened by sorrow. "The fire."

Eyes widening, Cloud's head snapped back to look into the office, filled with curiosity and a strange form of dread. In fact, just looking into the darkness made his head spin, his stomach churn - he hardly noticed as Zack stepped in, unfazed.

The brunet tried the light switch, flipping it up, down, up, down, but there was no response. He gave a sigh and moved inward slowly, careful of what he stepped on. The crackle of paper and creak of wood met his every step, and Cloud's too when the blond finally started to move.

He held his hands out to find his way, but they hit nothing as he moved. It seemed the room was empty. Zack gave an "aha" after a minute, and Cloud's head snapped towards the sound.

"What? What is it?"

His answer came a moment later when a flicker of light entered the room - a candle. Somehow the little thing was bright enough to light most of the room, and when it did, Cloud let out a horrified squeal.

"There's - there's a -" He pointed and Zack swung towards it; he didn't give a sound, but his eyebrows shot up, mouth falling open. Behind the desk was the owner of the office, now a corpse, burnt and barely decayed, blackened skull fallen back against the chair, mouth open and distorted. Now that he could see, Cloud saw the whole room was black - stained by fire, books torched and destroyed, papers destroyed, the body blackened, skin and clothes melted.

Zack slowly approached, let the light fall on a scarred name tag. "H... o... I can't see much else, but I guess this is him, all right." He sneered. "Prof. Hojo. Bastard."

Cloud looked up to his friend, feeling sick, the stench of burnt flesh filling his nostrils. "Y -You knew him?"

Surprised, Zack looked up. "Of course, so did you. Remember?" He looked back at Hojo and glared. "This was the bastard always giving Sephiroth a hard time of it."

Sudden, violent anger flooded Cloud again and he gave a deep, rumbling growl. Zack's eyes snapped up, surprised. "Hey... you okay?"

"I - I don't know - I'm just - I'm so pissed off whenever I think of this guy -"

Zack snorted, seeming to misunderstand. "You and me both. I hated this guy - though I didn't figure I'd ever see him like this." If Zack sounded sad, it wasn't because he missed Hojo, but more from a humane feeling of regretting the need for death. "Sephiroth had to come back to Nibelheim for appointments constantly, supposedly for "check up"s," He mimed quotations with his hands. "But I doubt that. He saw Hojo too often for it to be a common doctor's visit. No... this guy was up to no good." Zack gave a heavy sigh, eyes falling. "Just wish I'd done something before... y'know. All this happened." He gestured to the ashes and remains of fire all around them. The light of the candle moved, and something in Cloud's vision glinted. It vanished quick - but Cloud's eyes remained on the shadow where it had been.

"Can I borrow that?" Cloud asked, holding his hand out. Zack shrugged and handed the candle over, then turned to walk the room and examine things. Cloud, meanwhile, turned back towards the corner where he'd seen the glint of light.

His friend eyed a dark bookshelf, toying with a scientific display. "I can't blame Seph for this... I mean, of course I hate what happened... so many people died... but after everything they did, I think I'd lose it too... I just..." His hand fell, sorrow drenching his eyes. "I wish he'd come to me. Though I guess, by then, he'd lost his faith in all of us. Can't blame him for that either."

As Zack talked, Cloud moved slowly closer, and closer. The thing was now just in sight, but he had to get closer to truly tell what it was. Then he realized - he knelt by it, a trembling hand reaching towards it. It was a bit blackened, like everything else, but still easily recognizable - a gun.

A gun? What was that doing here? Cloud set the candle down, and held the heavy weapon in both hands, flipped it over and about. It was a Turk model - but this was a mental hospital. What was a gun doing in a mental hospital, and one that belong to the dogs of Shinra, no less?

He took hold of the candle again, and stood, still holding the gun with the other hand. The weight of it made him feel strong, reassured him all would be well - though truthfully, what would a gun with limited ammo do against the hell spawn of this place? Still he didn't let it go as he moved behind the desk.

"Did you find something?"

Cloud was too lost in thought to notice Zack speaking - something was calling to him, some feeling, some realization. The corpse, revolting in its half rotten state, part melted, part bone, part black skin and muscle, with remnants of the suit it used to wear. The office chaired had bubbled in places, fusing his body to the seat - but Cloud had no interest in moving him. His gaze was focused on the skeletal hand, covered in thin, black layers of half eaten muscle, bubbled and broken, which was clenched in a fist.

Hefting the gun up and checking the safety, Cloud put it into his pants pocket - and then used his free hand to reach to the dead man's fist. Nerves warned him of this, but something stronger told him this was the way - this was the next step.

"What are you doing?"

A voice was saying, yes, this is the answer, this is the way. But his heart pounded, his head screamed, no, not this, anything but this. Trembling fingers touched mutiliated flesh and he flinched, vomit catching in his throat. Disgusted, but determined, he set the candle on the desk and used two hands to turn the hand over. The flesh made terrible sounds, the bones cracked and turned to dust in places - Cloud's stomach revolted - but he continued moving it. He could tell there was something hidden inside.

Zack was still in the dark, unable to see what he was doing, but waiting rather patiently for an answer. The blond paid him no heed, wholly enraptured with his current actions.

Slowly he pried open the fingers, which fought him incessantly, creaking and groaning and squelching sickeningly. He had to hold his stomach down again, acid burning in his throat, until finally they opened and - nothing was there.

Cloud fell back and collapsed to the floor, guts heaving as what little was in his stomach - bile and acid - came hurtling up out of his mouth. Zack was immediately by his side, rubbing his back, kneeling as a comforting weight beside him. It only lasted a minute, but left Cloud heaving for breath, chest burning, muscles exhausted. It was a nasty mess, and Zack moved him away from it quickly.

"You all right?" Slowly Cloud nodded, not trusting his ability to speak. Zack gave him a minute, let him cough and catch his breath, before he asked. "What'd you find?"

Just as he was about to say, "Nothing at all," Cloud felt a strange weight in his pocket. He put his hand in, and though his grip was weak, pulled out a strangely shaped metal thing - in the light of the candle, Zack and Cloud found a metal key, blood soaked as everything else, rusted and blackened by fire and time, but still usable. Zack gave a whooping cheer and grabbed it out of Cloud's hand.

"All right! Finally!" He grinned and held it up. "This is what we went to all that trouble for! Hah! Glad it's over!" He flipped it into the air and caught it. "So it was in the dead doc's hand?"

Shame, guilt, and an odd sense of fear filled Cloud then, and though he didn't know why, he found himself agreeing. "Y - Yeah. Right in his hand."

Zack didn't seem to sense a lie, simply smiled and looked at it again. A burning guilt wracked Cloud's stomach - or perhaps that was just the after effects of throwing up. "Looks like our lucks changing."

Cloud certainly hoped it was.


End file.
